Mario Kart Mayhem
by XVZY
Summary: 16 racers. 9 races. 1 champion!
1. Chapter 1: Starting with a Shootout

It was a bright, sunny day in the Mushroom Kingdom. The course has been set, and a very excited Lakitu was floating around on his cloud.

"Good morning, folks, and prepare for the 21st annual Mario Kart tournament! First up is Luigi Circuit, first race of the Mushroom Cup!"

The massive crowd in the stadium cheered, making an absolutely deafening sound that echoed throughout the course. Following tradition, Luigi Circuit always served as the first course of the exciting series. The course has been given, 21 years ago, to Luigi as a present from Princess Peach for saving her in a galactic adventure. It was a standard race course, perfect for beginners: no hazards, and it was an oval track with no sharp turns. Also, it had the lowest amount of item boxes in the entire tournament, only 3. This meant that only the starters could get it per lap. The finish line area had an enormous grandstand housing thousands of excited spectators (most of them toads, who had travelled from Toad Town not so far away to watch the race). A giant Luigi's hat was built onto the top of the grandstand. On the other side of the track was the pits, where all 16 drivers was busy tinkering with their karts before the race.

A massive scoreboard suddenly lit up, above the pits:

Driver: | Kart:

Mario | Red Racer

Luigi | L Charger

Peach | Heart Kart

Daisy | Flower Power

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet

Bowser | Koopa King

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser

Diddy Kong | Banana 1

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite

Toadette | Pink Shroom

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher

Wario | Gold Buster

Waluigi | Purple Buster

Lakitu was busy reporting the news.

"As you can see, this year we have 16 racers! 16! This is now an all-time high. There's still some time before the pole position shootout, so let the interviews begin!"

This year was different from all the other years, as it featured a pole position shootout. The previous Mario Kart tournaments were unfair as it gave the racers who started first got an advantage, so the pole position shootout was implemented. Basically, each racers get a turn to race around the circuit in three laps, and the lineup for the actual race would be from the fastest to the slowest. There was a high rate of anticipation in the air, and everyone was already present, not wishing to even miss out on the pole position shootout.

Lakitu let it rip with the interviews. First up was Mario, the heavy favourite.

"So, Mr. Mario, what is your strategy today?"

"Let me tell you this. I have won 16 out of the last 20 tournaments, so I will win again this year. It's as easy as that. I'm the most all-around of all the racers, and I wanna keep it that way".

Lakitu nodded; Mario seemed confident. The crowd cheered again (except a couple of Hammer Bros from the Koopa Troop, who was supporting Bowser).

Luigi was busy tinkering in the pits when Lakitu came to him. He noticed that Luigi had changed his kart dramatically. Luigi was busy calming himself by having a cup of coffee, while his mechanic, Toadbert, worked on the car. Luigi, with this being his own circuit, expected to win this race, even though the crowd and MushroomBet didn't.

"Ah, yes Luigi. Younger brother of Mario but we won't hold that against you, will we?"

Luigi actually thought that Lakitu was a pest. He hated being interviewed before any race, preferring to think deeply instead.

The Lakitu very clearly found himself unwelcome, and continued on to the pits of Princess Peach. In a matter of minutes, Lakitu had interviewed all the high-profile racers, not even bothering with the lower profile ones.

In fact, most knew that this time, this tournament would be a four-horse race contested between Mario, the favourite, Peach, Bowser Jr. and the surprise entrant: Rosalina. Donkey Kong and Yoshi were also miles ahead of the pack. In fact, Luigi, who had suffered from being not as well-known as his older brother (despite also rescuing the princess on a number of occasions). He was ranked instead as a 'Wild Card' (which literally meant that it was almost impossible for him to come first) in the Mushroom Cup alone. And then, of course, it was onto the Shell Cup before the prestigious Special Cup. Within the Special Cup was the notorious Rainbow Road. Unlike all other circuits, in this one if you fell off the edge, Lakitu would take you to the pits and you would watch on hopelessly, becoming a mere spectator. It meant business.

Suddenly the horns blared, signalling the start of the shootout. Mario eagerly went into his kart, which although bearing a humble name ('Red Racer') was by far the most all-around kart you can find. It excelled in almost every category. Luigi watched his older bro tackle the course with absolute precision: taking every turn in the course perfectly. His three laps was flawless.

"Could contestant number two, Luigi, make his way to the starting line please."

Luigi turned numb with fear. He sat into his kart, his mind set on getting the rocket start. Lakitu quickly went onto the start line with his trademark signaller.

Red Light. Stop.

Yellow Light. Get ready.

Green Light. GO!

Luigi zoomed out of the circuit, only to find that he had missed out on the rocket start. "Dang it!" he screamed, then got himself composed for the first turn. Unfortunately, he took it too narrowly, and the left side clipped grass.

Luigi had stuffed it.

The audience booed.

Although his next lap was flawless, it simply could not make up time to beat Mario. In a Mario Kart race, seconds are minutes, minutes are hours, and hours are an eternity. Luigi turned right, onto the opposite straight. His kart thundered through at 150km/h, and then he slowed and composed himself for the final turn which led onto the home straight. Two laps down, one lap to go.

Luigi knew very well that with two blunders already, either he make this one or he would be out of the top 5. No, he was probably already out, and now he must cling for a spot in the top 10. Round the first turn. Very good. Second turn. Still good. Third and final turn. Flawless. And then the L Charger finished its pole position shootout.

Luigi hung his head. It was a bad run.

Luigi watched the other shootouts in hope that some of the racers would stuff up. In truth, only a small amount failed as much as he did. Some turned too wide, some turned too narrow, some were too scared, but others, such as Mario, were perfectly consistent.

By the end of the pole position shootout, the leader board looked like this:

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Mario | Red Racer | 2:10:53

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 2:11:01

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 2:11:34

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 2:11:40

Wario | Gold Buster | 2:12:10

Luigi | L Charger | 2:12:45

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 2:13:22

Daisy | Flower Power | 2:15:11

Peach | Heart Kart | 2:15:53

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 2:16:00

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 2:17:02

Bowser | Koopa King | 2:18:31

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 2:20:03

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 2:20:11

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 2:22:00

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 2:23:02

Although, at the end of the actual race, the pole position shootout would not matter one bit, the fact was that in a Mario Kart race, starting first and starting last could be the matter of life and death. Unless some rocket starts were used while the top 3 did not have any, on a course with as few item boxes as Luigi Circuit, only the top 3 could give them the edge, which also meant that, if they got the right item, could easily catapult them further. It wasn't uncommon to see a Mario Kart race end only too find that the leader board is pretty much the same as it has started. Also, since this year the pole position shootout was implemented, the starting blocks are further apart - a rocket start can only boost you a maximum of two positions.

Game on.


	2. Chapter 2: Luigi Circuit

The atmosphere was electric.

The Mushroom Cup had started, and after a close pole position shootout, the actual race was about to begin. Luigi shakily put on his Mario Kart helmet and climbed into his beloved racecar, the L Charger. It was a pristine machine, polished and upgraded by Luigi's new mech chief, Toadbert. It was now positively sparkling: a silver kart with two green stripes in the colour of Luigi's cap running down the car. Toad workers had just finished with the item boxes on the course.

Toadsworth, assistant to Peach, president of the tournament who was also an eldery Toad who had accompanied the princess on every adventure since they went to Delfino, nodded and handed it over to Lakitu.

He was quick to remind everyone of the standings.

"This is the lineup: Mario, Yoshi, Rosalina, Bowser Jr., Wario, Luigi, Toad, Daisy, Peach (the audience went wild), Donkey Kong, Waluigi, Bowser (the Koopa Troop audience members screamed), Birdo, Koopa Troopa, Diddy Kong and Toadette! Now, lets watch the race!" Three! Two!

One!

GO!

Mario, consistent as always, got off to an excellent start. Rosalina blasted past Yoshi, who had failed a rocket start, and Bowser Jr. also took advantage of its opportunity. Wario also had starting problems, and Luigi suddenly found himself in 5th place. Bowser hammered his way past Waluigi to come in 11th, while Diddy Kong swerved around Koopa Troopa. The race was merely seconds old and yet things are happening.

Mario took the first item box, which turned out to be a banana, and threw Rosalina, who was right behind, totally off guard, although she dodged it. Bowser Jr. got the second box, found it to be a green shell and threw it at Mario, who expertly turned. Yoshi opted to not take the third, which was at the far side, and Luigi, who now couldn't believe his luck, found it to be triple green shells. Awesome! Luigi launched the first shell, which missed Yoshi but got Bowser Jr. clean in the tail.

"Stuff you, chump!" screamed Bowser Jr., who found himself overtaken by Yoshi, Luigi, and also Wario and Toad, following close behind, to come in 7th place. Luigi lauched the second shell, and this time it hit Yoshi fair and square, knocking him back. Now he is in 3rd, with Rosalina right ahead and Mario within reach. Behind him, Bowser Jr. used his item, a mushroom, and overtook both Toad and Wario.

Luigi focused on keeping close with Rosalina, and by driving aggressively and taking an inside turn, found himself side by side with her at the home straight!

The first lap finished (races, unlike pole position shootouts, composed of 5 laps), Mario then got the item box, and Luigi and Rosalina competed for the 2nd one. Luigi, whose kart was heavier, touched the Rosalina's Rainbow Comet, pushed it aside, and forcefully took the 2nd box, Rosalina then swerved to the left and got the third one, although effectively allowing Luigi (and Bowser Jr., who was nipping at his tail), through. Mario got a useless green shell, which he threw, and Luigi got a red shell.

Red shells were relatively common, and _very _rarely missed.

…which is why it left Luigi's jaw open when Mario _dodged _it on the second turn! This, however, brought Luigi closer, and he stayed there for quite some time.

The next two laps were dull and uneventful, and the only overtaking happened at the lower end of the race. By then, Toadette had got the upper hand over both Diddy Kong and Koopa Troopa, and Donkey Kong rammed past Peach, who had already overtaken Daisy. Bowser tried to ram Donkey Kong with his spiked Koopa King, but ended up failing miserably; the Koopa King span out and sending him into 2nd last place, just ahead of Birdo who had already stumbled two times.

On the third lap, however, was when, at the opposite straight, Bowser Jr. got a blue shell, the rarest item of them all. It doesn't miss, and goes straight over and smashes the winner, who was still Mario.

"Mama mia!" Mario cursed, as his kart was flipped, allowing Luigi, Bowser Jr. and Rosalina to pass through; this was now a four-car race with the 5th placed racer, Yoshi, 5 seconds behind.

Luigi found himself in _first_, however Bowser Jr. was driving very aggressively, and had already tried - and failed - to ram him three times. Rosalina was slowly yet steadily closing in.

Bowser Jr. started getting frustrated, and on the start of the fourth he attempted to take the first item box by brute force, although Luigi held him off, leaving him itemless, while Rosalina went left for the 2nd and Mario turned left even further for the 3rd. Luigi looked at his item screen; to his delight he found it was a banana! Then, making extra sure that Bowser Jr. (who was expecting a green shell) was tightly behind, he hit the launch key. Jr. screamed, violently turned left - big mistake - and spun off the track, making this now a three-car race for the finish. Mario got a mushroom and overtook Rosalina, who also got a banana yet it was useless as she was in third place.

Luigi breathed a sigh of relief - he knew that if one of them got either triple green shells or triple red shells that would be the end of him.

Luigi held his position until the straight opposite the grandstand (where the crowd was now absolutely emerged in the race), where Mario very patiently found himself a place just behind and to the right of him. At the final third turn, Mario absolutely gunned it, and the Red Racer scraped the L Charger and sprang into the lead! The crowd cheered.

Luigi attacked left and right, however he was left fruitless. And even worse, Rosalina was gaining on him. At the final lap, Mario took the first item box, Luigi the second, Rosalina the third - and Luigi got a very rare item - the star! Mario got triple green shells, however, and Rosalina was once again unlucky - left with a banana. Luigi instantly utilised the star, turned rainbow colour and instantly got within overtaking distance. Luigi thought about ramming Mario, but later thought it was too risky - besides, if he had done that Rosalina could overtake him. Instead, Luigi cut inside (Mario instantly turned right, keen to avoid the consequences) and went into first place, and knocking out two of his three shells!

Mario, however, was a patient driver, and smelled blood. He waited until Luigi was fully ahead of him and BAM! Launched the shell.

The crowd saw it all.

It was the most explosive green shell attack in Mario Kart history.

Luigi, who had just finished his star, was quite a bit in front - but not in front enough to avoid it. Worse still, it was on the final turn - and Luigi's left wheels are up in the air - a kart's most vulnerable position, and the worst place to get hit by a shell.

Luigi's kart turned backward, and the wheels - which was still going forward - smoked up, like a street racing event. Luigi lost speed fast, and like a bullet Rosalina overtook. When Luigi finally stopped skidding, Mario and Rosalina was already over the line.

He, Luigi, had failed.

Luigi quickly turned around, but not before Yoshi, Wario and Bowser Jr. all blew past. The L Charger slipped in _just _before Donkey Kong's Konga Kart.

Luigi hung his head in shame. He was _so _close in coming first - but ended up, just because of his brother's green shell, 6th. It was disastrous.

Absolutely disastrous.

The leader board looked later, after the first race, like this:

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Mario | Red Racer | 6:15:31

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 6:16:03

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 6:22:37

Wario | Gold Buster | 6:22:59

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 6:23:30

Luigi | L Charger | 6:26:03

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 6:26:05

Peach | Heart Kart | 6:26:25

Daisy | Flower Power | 6:27:31

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 6:30:21

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 6:32:11

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 6:35:46

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 6:36:58

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 6:38:38

Bowser | Koopa King | 6:38:40

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 6:43:17

The leaderboard then changed, showing the scores:

Driver: | Kart: | Points:

Mario | Red Racer | 10

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 9

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 8

Wario | Gold Buster | 7

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 6

Luigi | L Charger | 5

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 4

Peach | Heart Kart | 3

Daisy | Flower Power | 2

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 1

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 0

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 0

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 0

Bowser | Koopa King | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Luigi sighed. He had now fallen so far behind Mario - a whopping 5 points. He cursed the green shell.

But, more importantly, after two days it'll be on to the next race.


	3. Chapter 3: Mushroom Gorge

It was the 2nd lap of the second race, at Mushroom Gorge, and Luigi was drifting alongside Mario, trying to take the lead. Mario then butted the L Charger, sending its left wheel over a cliff. Rosalina and Yoshi quickly overtook the green car, and then Bowser Jr. came, and with an evil grin smashed Luigi clean over the edge…

BEEP! BEEP!

Luigi's clock sounded, and he jolted awake. He looked around, only to find the Mushroom Gorge incident was only a dream. But then he realised that today was race day, and guess where the race would be taking place: Mushroom Gorge.

Luigi, not having anything better to do before the race, busied himself by looking at a detailed map of the track. It started with a dirt road, before winding onto a wooden bridge which there are 3 item boxes. The course then branches into two paths, the standard one on the left, and a shorter one on the right, although that would require the kart to 'bounce' off three red mushrooms. At the middle of the top mushroom is a single additional item box. The track then curves again, into a cave, where the paths split. Both are the same length, however, the unique thing about this path is a shortcut. If the racer opts for the right hand path, he can daringly turn suddenly left on the second mushroom, and if it is timed _just _right, it can bring s/he to a narrow tunnel which then leads to the start/finish line. More often then not, however, the racer misses and plunges into the endless abyss below, and, although there is a safety net, it effectively gives the racer a 'DNF' - did not finish.

At 9:00 sharp, Luigi arrived at the track. Unlike the previous one, it housed no spectators, and the only way for them to watch is on TV (some specially-trained paratroopas and fly guys act as reporters). Lakitu was already there, speaking to a paratroopa cameraman. "And here, arriving at the pits, is the green machine: Luigi! After a devastating green shell at his own circuit, Luigi is now out to prove a point today! But can he get past Yoshi, the ferocious green dinosaur, Bowser Jr., prince of the Koopa Troop, Rosalina, empress of the stars, and Mario, his own heavily favored brother? Find out soon, when the races begin!"

Toadbert offered him some solid pieces of advice, and then it was race time. Unlike the previous race, there wasn't a pole position shootout, and instead the starting lineup was based on the results of the previous race. The leader board flashed onto millions of TV screens.

Three!

Two! One!

GO!

Luigi was 6th in the lineup, and on 5 points. A rocket start had him overtake Wario, although Bowser Jr. and Yoshi also started off perfectly. At the front, Mario and Rosalina jostled for first place.

Onto the wooden bridge, and Mario, Rosalina and Bowser Jr. managed to get the item boxes. Yoshi followed closely behind, and then it is Luigi, and behind him Wario and Donkey Kong fighting for 6th. Mario got a red shell, which didn't have any use, Rosalina utilised her mushroom and blasted into first, while Bowser Jr. got _triple red shells_.

All too quickly, Luigi saw what was happening. Bowser Jr. threw the first red shell, headed straight for Mario. Mario swerved right, but couldn't avoid it.

Bang. Smack. Back to 6th, just behind Luigi.

Jr. then blasted the second shell, which homed in and took out Rosalina. _She _spun, didn't handle it well and the Rainbow Comet continued at 7th, one place behind Mario's Red Racer.

The third shell was then fired, and the race continued onto the first branch. Bowser Jr. had no trouble taking the standard route, but Yoshi went for the mushrooms. Luigi thought about the standard one but too headed for the difficult course. Behind him, Wario took the standard one, but Mario and Rosalina have got the skill, and they too gunned it.

Yoshi bounced awkwardly, sending him to the right, and although he managed to keep on the course missed the item box. Luigi didn't have trouble and got the box, Mario edged ever-so-closer and Rosalina was right behind his tail. Not surprisingly, it was a simple red shell. When the mushroom area ended, Yoshi went in front of an astounded Bowser Jr., and Mario came behind him. So Mario launched the shell at the Koopa prince. It hit hard. Bowser Jr. cursed.

Speed. Blinding speed. Luigi pushed the L Charger to the max, but somehow Yoshi was always just out of reach. They entered the second mushroom area inside the cave, and unsurprisingly, no-one, not even Mario, chanced the shortcut on the first lap. Out of the cave, through a winding portion of dirt road, and now back to the starting line. Yoshi took the first item box; Luigi took the second. Yoshi had a mushroom and blasted further into the lead.

The suprising part was that Mario didn't take an item box, as it was too far and would waste time, however Rosalina did. It was found to be a blue shell, and took Yoshi out in a blinding puff of blue smoke. Luigi was now in the lead.

Luigi's triple green shells circled around his kart menacingly, like a shield. Mario kept his distance from them, not daring to overtake unless he got an item such as a star. Not going for the item box was a big mistake.

Luigi cruised the full length of the second lap in first (the box ontop the first set of mushroom was found to be nothing more than a banana) and on the third item boxes, Mario didn't make the same mistake twice and went for the second item box. Unfortunately, Rosalina had the same idea, and the two karts collided at full force.

"Looks like things got hairy for the top two racers!" Lakitu shouted from the announcers box. Luigi is now in first, and Wario is - no wait -"

For Bowser Jr. had rammed Wario with full force, and the _heavier _racer spun out out, and the koopa prince was now coming in second!

The top 5 flashed:

1. Luigi

2. Bowser Jr.

3. Yoshi

4. Daisy

5. Rosalina

"Folks, Mario is now officially, at the end of lap 3, out of the top 5!" Lakitu recapped excitingly. "This is an absolute blockbuster of a race!"

Luigi twisted and turned throughout the course, and despite Bowser Jr.'s best efforts he couldn't just ram Luigi powerfully enough to keep him out of the race. Throughout lap 4, Luigi maintained the lead.

It was the item box section of the final lap when something happened like it always does. It just so happened like previously, Bowser Jr. got unbelievably lucky and got _triple red shells _while Luigi only wound up getting a mushroom, useless when you've got shells homing in on you.

So, despite the boost, the first shell hit, and it hit hard.

"PAYBACK!" Bowser Jr. screamed, grinning from ear to ear, and making extra sure to ram Luigi again, all too easily took the lead. Yoshi wasted no time, Mario (who had already overtaken Daisy and Rosalina) followed with the star princess in hot pursuit. Then its Daisy and Waluigi and Donkey Kong.

Luigi knew that all hope wasn't lost - if he could make the short cut at the mushroom area all would be well. No, it would be better than well - a quick calculation told him that he would come first.

He braced himself all the way to the entrance of the cave. Taking a deep breath, he took the left path. Lakitu at once saw what was happening.

"If I'm not mistaken, folks, Luigi is _going for the shortcut_, completely disregarding the fact that none have made it since the 5th Mario Kart tournament!"

Luigi gunned the gas, and bounced perfectly on the first mushroom. He turned his kart via his thrusters in mid-air, making extra sure that he was facing in the direction of the short cut, and fell to the second mushroom. The L Charger bounced right into the short-cut tunnel!

Luigi went out of it alongside Bowser Jr. - leaving the Koopa prince's jaw wide open!

It was down the home straight, and Jr., having used up his other two red shells also, knew it was purely a race of speed. However, he didn't have a talented mechanic like Toadbert, making do with a lazy Goomba - and he suffered the consequences.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! Luigi has TAKEN THE SHORT CUT AND WON!" Lakitu shouted at the top of his lungs. It was truly a momentous moment. "Now, lets see the leader board! Oh, I can't wait - "

And, instantly, the leader board showed up on millions of TV Screens throughout the Mushroom Kingdom.

Racer: | Kart: | Time:

Luigi | L Charger | 6:42:03

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 6:42:27

Mario | Red Racer | 6:43:55

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 6:45:01

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 6:46:17

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 6:46:49

Daisy | Flower Power | 6:47:23

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 6:49:10

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 6:50:32

Wario | Gold Buster | 6:51:45

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 6:53:37

Bowser | Koopa King | 6:56:22

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 7:01:28

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 7:14:19

Peach | Heart Kart | DNF

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | DNF

On the 4th lap, Peach and Toad collided on a mushroom, resulting in too quick DNF's - Did Not Finishes and Waluigi had an unexpected spurt, overtaking Toadette, Donkey Kong, Daisy and Yoshi.

Lakitu was eager as ever to tell everyone the news. No viewer had turned away, all was glaring at the screen - waiting for the all-important bit, the scores.

The scores then flashed onto all the screens, combining both the scores obtained this race and the previous:

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Mario | Red Racer | 18

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 16

Luigi | L Charger | 15

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 15

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 13

Wario | Gold Buster | 8

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 7

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 7

Daisy | Flower Power | 6

Peach | Heart Kart | 3

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 2

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 0

Bowser | Koopa King | 0

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher 0

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Mario, despite finishing third at Mushroom Gorge, was coming first overall. Rosalina comes in 2nd with 16 points. Bowser Jr. and Luigi were tied up at 15 - although they weren't _truly _equal - in fact, if at Rainbow Road this situation happened again, Luigi would take the third - as he has already won a race. Then Yoshi comes in with 13, before a yawning gap.

Luigi nodded. It wasn't a _bad _-not all - but his goal isn't to come _not bad_. His goal is to win the Mario Kart tournament - and so he has to be well prepared for the next race, once again only two days away - this time at Toad's Factory, final course of the Mushroom Cup.


	4. Chapter 4: Toad's Factory

It was race day for the third and last course of the Mushroom Cup. A huge host of toads took to their seats on a massive grandstands on both sides of the home straight, the end of which houses the start/finish line. The majority were supporting Mario, although some were on Peach's side, being the ruler of the kingdom.

The course opens, after the start line, into a tunnel straight into the factory, before opening into a hall with many machines stamping the road. Of course, safety regulations meant that the ends were made of sponge and perfectly harmless, although it effectively gives you a DNF. After a line of three item boxes, its onto another section of the course, where there are three conveyor belts. The centre one gives the racer a boost, although the ones on both sides slow the racer down as it heads in an opposite direction. It then leads back to the outside, although a tiny ramp in the middle can give a lucky racer an item box. Then its onto a chute covered in mud with many tractors, each bellowing red smoke which hinders the vision of the racer, and coupled with the mud which slows the racer down means it is a dangerous part of the course. Boost panels mean it is still possible to clear the tractor area without losing any valuable speed, though. Then a turn right to the home straight.

It made the previous courses look puny.

Luigi entered the pits to find it abuzz with excitement - and tension. Racers are busy talking with their Mech Chiefs trying to find the best route in the complex course. Luigi found Mario, keeping his cool as always, already inside the car checking the controls. Bowser Jr. was talking tactics with his dad. Rosalina was deep in conversation with her Mech Chief, Lubba, and Yoshi was refuelling after an early morning test run. All the other racers were doing the usual preparations.

Lakitu was as energetic as ever, and now the Toads were getting involved, throwing pieces of coloured paper onto the course itself (which annoyed the cleaners). Toadsworth was sitting in his special presidential chair coloured gold, and keeping a close eye on the time. At the exact time as the short hand hit "10" and the long hand hit "12" he signalled the start of the race, and the racers, who had already gotten their karts out of the pits and ready, blasted off.

Speed. Blurring speed.

The racers bumped and pushed each other, while hurling insults, as they entered the stamping machine area. Things turned frantic as the karts struggled to avoid the stampeding hydraulics. Luigi found himself getting pushed by Wario from the left and Donkey Kong from the right.

The L Charger was struggling to hold the combined force of two of the strongest racekarts on the track. Luigi tried to forcefully push Wario, weaker of the two, out. Donkey Kong saw what was happening and also pushed, however Wario slammed on the brakes. Safe, yes, but very costly.

Mario's Red Racer was way too fast and came out on top exiting the machine area. By then, the leaders have reshuffled due to the fearsome machines. Rosalina was battling with Bowser Jr. at the far left, while Waluigi was occupied with Daisy on the right. In a desperate act to get the item boxes, the entire kart race went hay-wire and it was after some time that the racers who managed to snatch a box was confirmed to be Mario, Bowser Jr. and Luigi. Two harmless bloopers came and went, not even bothering Mario, although Luigi's red shell proved to be a little more damaging, absolutely smashing Waluigi's Purple Buster. Exiting the area and onto the belts. Mario has already memorised the course and went dead straight into the centre, although at the lower end of the race even more shuffling happened. Mario expertly made the ramp, getting an item box (a banana) and Luigi stormed down the left, only to find Bowser Jr. alongside him on the right. Rosalina (and Yoshi) got the ramp but no box.

The tractor area proved to be a huge hindrance, and everyone lost speed - the question was how much. It was clearly difficult to keep your position in a course as difficult as Toad's Factory with all these obstacles in your way. Luigi hit a boost panel but missed both the second and third; he got the fourth - but ended up in the thick of tractor smoke.

"BLAH!" he shouted, and slowed down the L Charger - he didn't want to risk crashing. He waited slowly for the smoke to pass - but the seconds seemed like hours.

When the younger Mario bro finally got a clear view, he saw that he had come out in 6th. Other racers were simply too quick - and too agile and nimble - to not take advantage of this opportunity.

Luigi knew what he is now to do - overtake every single one of them, one racer at a time.

Toadette's Pink 'Shroom had managed to weave itself into the top 5, but not for long. A perfectly timed turn saw the L Charger just scrape inside of the Pink 'Shroom. "YOU JERK!" Toadette screamed, but she couldn't do anything.

Donkey Kong's Konga Kart was equally easy to overtake, Luigi just used the ramp (although the item box was still re-generating) and the L Charger was now into 5th.

Yoshi narrowed his eyes and kept his ground, and yet he just didn't have the skills to not lose speed in the tractor area. 4th.

The next three weren't so easy - by order, they were Rosalina's Rainbow Comet, Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Chaser, and then, way out in front thanks to a mushroom, Mario's Red Racer. Luigi timed himself so that he could once again, overtake Rosalina at the start of lap 3, but…

…Rosalina took the turn perfectly, defeating any chance of an overtake.

Then something weird happened. Apparently the item box had already re-generated when the second-last placed racer, Koopa Troopa, went on the ramp. He got a prestigious Blue Shell, and wasted no time in firing it.

Mario didn't like it.

Bowser Jr. didn't like it when the Red Racer crashed straight into him, either.

The Koopa Chaser's nosewing became trapped between in the Red Racer's two wheels. Bowser Jr. gunned the gas, but it did nothing except spin the two karts around. Mario tried to turn in the opposite direction, resulting in a thick plume of gas forming.

The top 5:

1. Rosalina

2. Luigi

3. Yoshi

4. Mario

4TIED: Bowser Jr.

Three seconds later:

1. Rosalina

2. Luigi

3. Yoshi

4. Waluigi (who rammed Toadette)

5. Donkey Kong

Mario and Jr. were now feeling the heat, for the first time in the Mushroom Cup. Although Jr. had, by reversing, untangled their karts, they found themselves being overtaken at an alarming pace - and now, they were coming in 8th.

Luigi took full opportunity of this, and yet Rosalina wasn't weakening. Her every turn was flawless, and the sheer speed of her kart was amazing. On every curve, the Rainbow Comet pulled further away from the L Charger.

Luigi knew that his only chance was at the item box area, where he would hopefully get lucky.

He did.

It just so happened that he got a star - and his kart quickly turned rainbow colour. Rosalina was keen to avoid being smashed. Through the pounding machine area. By the time that the star wore off, Rosalina was miles behind, unable to push her kart faster, since the star also boosted a racer's speed.

Despite this, the star princess managed to gain on Luigi all throughout the lap. Mario and had already gone up to 4th. At the start of lap 5, Luigi and Rosalina was over side by side when they took their item boxes. Luigi got a blooper, which targeted the Rainbow Comet, although Rosalina just kept on coming. Her item was a bob-omb, a walking bomb that blew up whoever came in its way.

It just so happened to be Waluigi, who had so far an absolutely excellent race.

"WAI!" Waluigi shouted as he struggled to retain control of the Purple Buster, but couldn't - a whomping machine came down, and his race was over.

DNF.

"Looks like the machines have finally claimed their first victim!" Lakitu shouted eagerly. The toads cheered.

Meanwhile, Rosalina and Luigi were absolutely battling it out, and it seemed as if the younger Mario bro was losing. The sheer expertise of Rosalina, combined with the excellence of the Rainbow Comet, were a deadly duo.

"Don't lose her!" Toadbert shouted through the L Charger's microphone.

Luigi, who was as frustrated as ever, argued back.

"Oh, well its not _my _fault that you ABSOLUTELY SUCK at tuning my car!"

"Oh _really_! If it wasn't for me, YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN A CAR IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Rosalina pulled away further. It was now the final portion of the final lap, and they were entering the tractor area. Luigi went behind Rosalina as she went over the first boost panel. She then went over the second and the third. A quick calculation told Luigi that at her angle, she wouldn't make the fourth. But he can.

Turning the kart left, the L Charger slashed through the mud, making a clear path. Expertly he then turned right, taking full advantage of the boost, and then went over the fifth and final one. Rosalina took her turn too wide, Luigi was right behind her, swerved left and now the L Charger was ahead of the Rainbow Comet by a millimetre! Rosalina tried to gain on Luigi on the final turn, but her wheels were clogged with mud. Luigi punched his face in the air as the L Charger slowly stopped.

Luigi was expecting a warm welcome in the pits, but all he got was an absolutely fuming Toadbert.

"What the HELL were you thinking -"

"Look, Toadbert, I was stressed, okay - "

"Ohoho, so you were "stressed"; for your information, I was up _ALL NIGHT _boosting the L Charger's power - "

"Sorry -"

"AND YET YOU ARE SO UNGRATEFUL -"

"TOADBERT! Look, I'm very sorry for what I've done, okay! Please don't ramble on about this."

Toadbert stopped, but it wasn't because of Luigi's apology. Instead, it was because the leader board had just flashed up on a gigantic screen above the pits.

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Luigi | L Charger | 8:10:23

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 8:11:03

Mario | Red Racer | 8:15:20

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 8:16:12

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 8:17:36

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 8:18:59

Peach | Heart Kart | 8:18:59

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 8:19:11

Wario | Gold Buster | 8:21:13

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 8:22:00

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 8:22:45

Bowser | Koopa King | 8:25:10

Daisy | Flower Power | 8:26:33

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 8:29:29

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 8:37:42

Waluigi | Purple Buster | DNF

It was certainly a close one, and the shuffling at the beginning of the course was evident. Now, it's the scores:

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Mario | Red Racer | 26

Luigi | L Charger | 25

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 25

Bowser Jr. |Koopa Chaser | 21

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 20

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 10

Wario | Gold Buster | 10

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 7

Peach | Heart Kart | 7

Daisy | Flower Power | 6

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 5

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 0

Bowser | Koopa King | 0

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Luigi shouted with joy. Only 1 point separating him and Mario! Thanks to his two wins, he is now ahead of Rosalina and is coming in 2nd! However, racers who have not even scored have stepped up to the plate this time: Toadette had surprised everyone by coming in 6th in this race, obtaining 5 points, while Diddy Kong had just got his first. However, the top 5 were ahead of the pack by leaps and bounds: Mario, Luigi, Rosalina, Bowser Jr. and Yoshi, who has a 10 point difference with the 6th placed Donkey Kong.

Luigi relaxed - it'll be a weeklong break 'til the start of the Shell Cup.


	5. Chapter 5: Trip to Isle Delfino

Luigi was thinking along the lines of a vacation to Isle Delfino.

It was a good chance to make it up to Toadbert, and also taking a good hard look at the second course of the Shell Cup, Coconut Mall.

Overall, the plane ride was reasonably pleasant, with some limited turbulence here and there throughout the journey. The meals on the plane was as excellent as ever, roast mushroom with grilled fire flower.

What definitely _wasn't _pleasant was Bowser Jr. - and his dad.

Apparently, since Mario made his course (first course of the Shell Cup) strictly off limits before the race, every single racer in the series would want to get an unfair but legal advantage over the other. You _could _say that Coconut Mall was a mere shopping mall, but on the other hand, it was the most complex and beautiful shopping mall in the entire Mushroom Kingdom. The sheer grandeur of it is absolutely breathtaking. A golden fountain, a whopping 5 levels, filled with shops (more than 750), escalators here and there and its design meant it would be also quite appropiate for an Mario Kart race.

The plane made a remarkably soft landing at Delfino Airstrip, airport of the island. An attractive toad stewardess onboard the plane thanked the passengers for choosing Delfino Holidays Airlines, and escorted them off the plane. Bowser and his son showed no manners whatsoever as they barged and pulled Toads and Goombas out of the way in order to get off first. _They _found the ride nothing but nauseating. Once out of the airport, Luigi and Toadbert steered clear of the Koopas and made their way to Hotel Delfino, which was, quite frankly, run by Toadette (her kart, the Pink 'Shroom, was parked just outside its gates), and unpacked and unloaded their luggage in their suite. Luigi travelled light; he did not carrying anything except the bare essentials, including a towel, slippers, spare clothing, detailed map of the mall and some spare mushrooms for food. Toadbert was a bit more un-conservative in his luggage, and brought everything from racing gear to a hover backpack. There was plenty of creature comforts in the hotel, including a nice 50'' plasma TV (even though Delfino has only one channel), huge king-size bed, and everything was in a nice cream colour.

While checking out the mall (and buying some stuff) Luigi and Toadbert started using their map and followed the planned racetrack inside it. Unlike last year's, this years track led outside to the parking lot and beyond as well. Most of the shoppers were rich Toads on vacation, and the items inside the mall was inappropriately expensive ($700 dollars for one penguin suit!). Luigi spotted a nice sushi train shop ('Cheep Cheep Train'), and he and Toadbert proceeded to eat lunch. There was some delicious food and rice in there.

About midway through the meal, Bowser and Bowser Jr. showed up incredibly hungry. The koopa king was as rude as ever, shouting and swearing disapproving comments about the food every five minutes, and after a giant argument over sushi or sashimi which very nearly resulted in violence, the younger koopa instantly spotted Luigi and his Mech Chief and instantly hurried over.

"That was a nice green shell, wasn't it, har har har!" Bowser Jr. laughed maniacally.

Luigi had trouble understanding what he was talking about before remembering the event in _race one_. Two races have since past, and he was still talking about this!

Bowser also stormed over.

"What's that blue-capped mushroom maniac over there! Oh, its it your _mechanic_! What's with the glasses, four-eyes? Can't see? Well, that's a shame, since you're a ****** ***** *****!"

After some more lame and stupid insults which annoyed more than offended, Luigi and Toadbert exited the sushi bar. The fashion shops didn't appeal to them, and so they didn't hesitate in making their way back to the hotel.

Luigi spent the next two days relaxing in the sunshine at Gelato Beach, went for a swim at Noki Bay and also went fishing for Cheep-Cheeps. The two days after that were entirely devoted to nothing but tennis, basketball and golf, and on the fifth and sixth he and Toadbert joined a tour which brought them all around the island. And then, of course, was time to stop the holiday, head back and prepare for the race.

They were certainly refreshed, but the tension before any race slowly but surely set in. Toadbert tried ways to make the L Charger still faster, and installed a better tailfin, bonnet scoops and also a high-peformance exhaust system. A quick wash also brought off the dust that clinged to the car ever since the run at Toad's Factory.

If Luigi Circuit was a spectacular racetrack, Mario Circuit was something else entirely. It was, once again, donated by Peach, although it was clear which Mario bro she liked better. One portion of it was purely racetrack, complete with an enormous grandstand and pits. It then curved left to an area with three chain chomps. Then its through a gold warp-pipe shaped tunnel (Inside it is 3 item boxes), then, after turning left again, through to Toad Town, and just before the Princess' castle it turns left, and after a straight with 1 item box, the start/finish line. Like all other races, it has 5 laps.

However, even though the Mushroom Cup's scores counted, the Shell Cup started with yet another pole position shootout, with three laps. Since it followed the score table, Luigi was second.

Mario was a pro around his own circuit. Twisting and turning, using speed boosts, the red Mario bro looked absolutely unbeatable. The Chain Chomps proved no problem for him; he took each and every turn perfectly.

"WOW!" Toadbert shouted, looking at his computer. "According to my calculation, the absolute perfect time for this three laps is 3:12:34. Mario did it in 3:12:45. A whopping eleventh of a second!" Toadbert looked worried, and sweat was starting to form on his mushroom-capped forehead. Luigi slowly got his upgraded car running and to the start/finish line.

Lakitu came with the light.

Red light.

Yellow light.

Green light. GO!

Luigi absolutely gunned it, and pushed his kart on. With all the changes Toadbert has made, the L Charger is now a totally different beast. It certainly felt fast - it was fast. Luigi concentrated on every turn and curve, careful not to lose the precious time. His first lap was splendid. The second lap was just as outstanding. Luigi weaved through the Toad Town area, back to the line and knew it was now the start of Lap 3.

Luigi turned sharply left, making a perfect turn. The Chain Chomps loomed overhead, and the second one, which was the most aggressive of the three, lunged at Luigi. Luigi jumped and instantly turned his kart right, completely forgetting it was chained to a chain! Luigi cursed and continued through the lap. Through the tunnel. At the Toad Town area, Luigi prepared for the turn and took it absolutely perfectly. Luigi turned left and finished the pole position shootout, having no idea if his time was good or bad.

Almost 3 whole seconds off Mario - 3:15:41. Luigi knew that, with the capabilities of his kart, he could have done better.

Rosalina went into the Rainbow Comet and completed her three laps. As accurate as hell, she managed an awesome 3:13:02 - 0.17 of a second from Mario's Red Racer! She stepped out of the 'Comet and struck a pose, and all the fans cheered wildly. Lubba floated onto the track and showed her some statistics, and her grin grew ever wider.

Bowser Jr. was confident, and before he went off, shouted to Luigi, "hey! Watch this and weep! Har har har!" Jr. was also very consistent, and finished with 3:13:58 - again, easily overcoming Luigi.

Yoshi, also being an accomplished racer, completed the course with his Yoshi Egg in 3:15:20. Despite a gap of 0.21 seconds, he _still _beat Luigi, who was devastated.

None of the other racers were skilled enough to beat the L Charger - the closest being some 2 seconds off (Waluigi, who is now improving vastly, 's time).

The fans cheered again, louder then ever. Toadsworth gave a small nod to Lakitu and he announced the lineup of the actual race.

"Mario,

Rosalina,

Bowser Jr.,

Yoshi,

Luigi,

Waluigi,

Toadette,

Peach,

Wario,

Donkey Kong,

Daisy,

Koopa Troopa,

Bowser,

Toad,

Diddy Kong

and Birdo!"

"Now fans, if you don't mind, lets start the race!"

Three!

Two!

One!

A huge revving of engines signalled that all the racers have now blasted into action.


	6. Chapter 6: Start of the Shell Cup

Like the start of all Mario Kart races, the beginning was filled with pushing and shoving. The start-off was excellent, with the vast majority managing rocket starts, however Mario still claimed the lead. Next was Yoshi in his Yoshi Egg, before followed by Bowser Jr., Luigi and Rosalina all tied up in third place. Then it's a small gap, before another group headed by Toadette and Peach.

All racers turned left, some cutting in front of others, and made their way to the Chain Chomp area. The Chomps instantly claimed their first victims, tossing their karts into the air and flinging them back to last place. Although the top 5 remained unaffected, the group entered the golden pipe tunnel, Jr., Luigi and Rosalina _all _tried to get the third box. Once again, Luigi found himself in the middle of some very violent pushing.

Bowser Jr.'s Koopa Chaser was stronger then the Rainbow Comet, however Luigi also pushed left and the L Charger obtained the box. Afterwards, the top 5 leader board was as follows:

1. Mario

2. Yoshi

3. Bowser Jr.

4. Luigi

5. Rosalina

Both Mario and Luigi had mushrooms, and the Mario bros took up the top 2. Yoshi had a green shell which didn't hit anyone.

Into the Toad Town area, and the town's residents, who have all turned up to watch the race, cheered. Mario waved at his fans and still managed a perfect turn, with Luigi right at his tail. Of course, it was Mario who managed to get the single item box at the home straight. A lightning.

Every racer except for Mario shrunk down to mini size and instantly lost ground. Mario easily came 1st after the first lap, and Luigi and Yoshi had 2nd and 3rd, respectively. Bowser Jr. was right on the green dinosaur's tail, and Rosalina was behind him.

It was very difficult to overtake in a circuit like Mario circuit, especially when everyone was managing perfect turns. The Chain Chomps barked, but didn't scare the Mario bros, who was out of their reach. It was then into the golden tunnel area, and Mario took the first box, Luigi took the second, while Yoshi took the third. Yoshi's _golden mushroom _blasted him all the way to first place by far, while Mario's banana took out Luigi.

The L Charger spun out. Luigi didn't want to lose control again, so he slowly and yet surely waited it to stop completely. After that, he found himself in 7th, and proceeded to overtake Peach. The Heart Kart didn't give way, however. In a desperate attempt to overtake Peach, Luigi tried to side inside, and the left wheels clipped grass.

Waluigi shouted with joy as he over took also.

8th.

Luigi was definitely in a sticky situation indeed, as it was now start of the third lap! The L Charger just wasn't up to the task. Luigi slowly followed behind Waluigi, but of course there was just no way he could get the item boxes. The Purple Buster was keeping its place in the race. Luigi bit his lip.

"Toadbert! Is there any possible way which I can overtake Waluigi!" Luigi was desperate.

After five seconds, Toadbert replied.

"My analysis suggests that Waluigi's driving style makes him weak to tight left-hand hairpins, such as the one just before Peach's castle"

"WHAT! You mean I have to wait until end of the lap!"

"Uhhh…yeah?"

"Dang it!" Luigi cursed. This was wasted precious time. And yet it was better to take it slowly, and so he waited until the Toad Town hairpin.

Just as Toadbert predicted, Waluigi went wide. Luigi easily cut inside and took 7th place.

But it was the start of the 4th lap.

Luigi then focused himself on Peach.

At the start of the fifth lap, Rosalina got Bowser Jr. (who was coming in second) with a red shell, sending him back to 5th, although still in front of Luigi.

The L Charger finally overtook the Heart Kart, although by then it was already midway through the fifth and final lap.

Next was the koopa prince himself. Bowser Jr. nastily utilised _his _weapon, which he got, _triple red shells_. Normally Luigi would have groaned, but this time he grinned.

He had just gotten lucky.

Universally lucky.

Wario and Yoshi got hit, and they all slipped behind the L Charger. Bowser Jr. narrowed in on Rosalina, who was currently third in the score count, and fired his final shell.

But by then, the racers have got their second item boxes in the pipe, and Rosalina easily blocked it with her star. Jr. found himself without a box - he had simply fired the shells too late - and Luigi took the third.

Bob-omb.

Instead of dropping it behind like a banana, which was the standard procedures for bob-ombs, Luigi instead utilised the second method: firing it like a slingshot, straight at Bowser Jr. A huge explosion signalled that Jr. had been hit, and although bob-ombs weren't deadly and very rarely resulted in casualties, what it merely did was knock the Koopa Chaser back.

Luigi finished at Mario Circuit in third place - behind Rosalina, at first, and Mario, at second.

"That's it for today, folks!" announced Lakitu. "But before we go, lets not forget to look at the leader board and time - and then the scores!"

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 6:06:37

Mario | Red Racer | 6:08:12

Luigi | L Charger | 6:10:11

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 6:11:56

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 6:13:01

Wario | Gold Buster | 6:14:22

Peach | Heart Kart | 6:15:03

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 6:16:20

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 6:16:37

Daisy | Flower Power | 6:16:48

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasger | 6:17:29

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 6:18:23

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 6:19:44

Bowser | Koopa King | 6:22:15

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 6:29:31

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 6:37:12

Rosalina secured her first win of the entire Mario Kart tournament, while Bowser Jr. had been hurt extremely badly by Luigi's bob-omb - his worst finish ever. Toadette pleasantly surprised the crowd by overtaking various racers on the end of lap 4 and lap 5 - while Daisy would get a point.

The scores flashed:

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Mario | Red Racer | 35

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 35

Luigi | L Charger | 33

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 26

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 24

Wario | Gold Buster | 15

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 12

Peach | Heart Kart | 11

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 10

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 9

Daisy | Flower Power | 7

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Bowser | Koopa King | 0

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Mario and Rosalina were, when it comes to points, tied at first. However, since Mario has won more races than her, he is still so far the reigning champion.

Luigi knew that he had dropped a place - Rosalina had overtaken him - because he finished third in this race. He was now down on two points. But he knew that if it wasn't for Bowser Jr., his score would have been even worse.

So he flashed his eyes over to Jr.

He was, indeed, as mad as hell, practically screaming into the ears of a Toad Referee about foul play. No doubt he thought that the way Luigi threw the bob-omb was illegal. However, the ref was just dismissing him (and blocking his ears), telling the Koopa prince that there was nothing wrong with the action.

A couple of Lumas were screaming "Mama! Mama!" pleased at Rosalina's rank, adding to the overall din. Residents of Yoshi's Island, who were supporting their favourite green dinosaur, was also jubilant. Fan boys and fan girls of Mario was starting a chant ("MA-RI-O! MA-RI-O!). Koopa Troop members was egging Bowser Jr. and Bowser on. No doubt Luigi's fans were happy too…

…which was when Luigi released that he _had _no fans.

He was the underdog of the top 5. A mere 'wild card'. No-one had expected him to come third so far. No-one expected him to _win a race_.

It wasn't all bad, though. If Mario won, this tournament wouldn't be memorable at all, as he always did. But if _Luigi _won, it certainly would go down into the history books. Luigi smiled when he imagined all the newspaper headlines:

"GREEN MACHINE TAKES HOME THE CROWN!"

"MARIO DEVASTATED BY LUIGI'S TRIUMPHANT RUN!"

"HISTORY HAS BEEN MADE: YOUNGER MARIO BRO WINS MARIO KART TOURNAMENT!"

"MARIO KART BREAKING NEWS - L CHARGER CHARGES TO COME IN FIRST!"

…that is, when Toadbert snapped him back to reality.

"If you're daydreaming about taking home the cup, you have a _lot _of work to do. You might have gotten lucky this time, but luck doesn't determine wether you win the cup or not. It's skill. _And _you don't have enough of it. Let me show you your errors on my calculations, and how you can improve it. We're leaving for Isle Delfino again tomorrow, except this time, it ain't no holiday"

Sure, it wasn't good to hear.

Sure, it wasn't encouraging news.

But at least it was honest.

"Luigi, come on!" Luigi shouted. He was taking home the cup no matter what,

"That's the spirit!" Toadbert smiled. "Now, lets get going before we miss our plane!"


	7. Chapter 7: Coconut Mall

All the Mario kart racers travelled on exactly the same plane on very same flight, once again for Delfino Holidays Airlines, since it was especially booked for the Mario Kart race (the mechanics, such as Toadbert, were on another plane). The very same toad stewardess which has greeted Luigi before stepped up again, and made her expertly rehearsed pre-flight speech - still exactly the same.

The plane was one of the smallest passenger planes ever built - the MushroomJet A-1. It had only four rows, and each row had an aisle in the middle, and two seats on either site. That made 16 - exactly the same number of racers.

Bowser pushed everyone violently aside - and sat at the 1st front row's left window seat. Since no-one wanted to sit with him, the seat to his right was empty - until his son plonked down next. The seats at the front but to the left of the aisle was then occupied by Wario (window seat) and Waluigi (aisle seat), and once again, they lacked decent manners.

The second-row ones were then sat on by Yoshi and Birdo on the left, and Donkey Kong and Diddy on the right. Mario sat at the third row, and to the left of the aisle. Luigi prepared to sit with him - but _Koopa Troopa _was there! And the worse part was that Mario didn't seem to mind!

Luigi tried to get the turtle off, but for some reason he was contempt with sitting there (which Luigi soon found out…). Luigi then tried to sit at the fourth row, so at least he could communicate with his older bro - but Toad and Toadette already present. Luigi then got himself into the third row right window seat - but _Peach and Daisy _sat behind him, and _Rosalina _sat beside him! AWKWARD.

Koopa Troopa laughed his head off.

The princesses talked all through the trip. Luigi stared blankly at the open sea for the three entire hours. By the time they landed, his neck was stiff.

The racers had to wait for the second plane with the mechanics to arrive, and it was late - arriving half an hour later than expected. Bowser and Bowser Jr.'s mechanics, Army Hammer Bro and Goomez respectively, came off first, and then it was Toadbert who went off the plane.

The blue-capped toad nodded over at Coconut Mall, which was already closed and has the Mario Kart emblem already propped up at the line. Piantas, Nokis and also Toads who have come from the Kingdom all gathered at the line.

The Pianta Police escorted the racers over to the start line, where their karts were already waiting, having been flown over by a cargo plane. Luigi's kart was placed behind Rosalina's Rainbow Comet and Mario's Red Racer, since it followed the finishing lineup of Mario Circuit. Luigi was reasonably confident in the race, as he had walked through the course, while Mario and Rosalina obviously haven't.

Once again, the very same Lakitu signalled the start of the race. He seemed to be enjoying his role.

Luigi didn't keep close behind the top 2 this time, and instead opted to take the best routes through the course.

The first path split _into six options_ - elevator leading up to the left, elevator up to the right, left, right, down to the left, and down to the right. Mario took the right route. Wrong. Rosalina was hesitant and instead followed the Red Racer. Wrong again.

The correct one was up and to the left. Luigi took it, although unfortunately no-one behind him had the guts to choose a different route, and they all followed the L Charger.

Luigi got an item box, and utilised his triple green shells by orbiting them around his kart. Mario and Rosalina came up the elevator only to find themselves in 4th and 5th, respectively. Bowser Jr., because of his previous bad run coupled with increasingly back timing was pushed back to sixth.

Wario and Yoshi kept their distance from Luigi, and because of his green shells and knowledge of the course, he had an easy lap. The course branched off again, and Luigi all too easily took the one with the item box.

Mushroom.

The match had ended before it had barely started, and Luigi all too easily came first. Bowser Jr. followed and came in second, using his knowledge also, and _Bowser _surprised everyone by coming in _fourth _(behind Yoshi, who followed the 'Chaser all the way).

For the Koopa Troop members watching the race, it was an absolute fantastic finish. They made all the racket in the course, screaming, supporting, shouting and celebrating. The Piantas and Nokis in the grandstands were into it, glad at their taste of Mario Kart fever. The atmosphere absolutely fitted the mood of the racers; Luigi was waving to the crowd with dignity.

Later, in the pits, Toadbert worked on the L Charger. Its tires needed changing, its turbo was heated, and yet through all these races it never failed to let Luigi down. By then, the heat of Isle Delfino had started to take its toll on the racers, and, wiping his forehead with a towel to clear his drippling sweat, Luigi found the two princesses coming back with ice-creams; Peach had finished hers, while Daisy's had formed liquid at the bottom of the cone.

Luigi later decided it wasn't a bad idea after all, and took off to the stall. An orange-skinned pianta asked for 50c, and then gave the younger Mario bro his cone. It tasted strongly of orange. Luigi also brought two frozen ice drinks - one for him, and one for Toadbert.

Rosalina was allocated the pit to the right of the green machine, while Yoshi's was to the left. Everyone stared blankly at the looming flat-screen television, waiting for the scores.

Suddenly, two toads rushed towards Luigi. One was female, and was tall, thin and had a mushroom cap decorated with flowers; the other was an orange-capped male who was outstandingly burly and strong - having no trouble carrying the _entire _set, a job normally given to two individuals.

Suddenly, Luigi found himself _on _the screen. The female toad tapped him and handed him the mike, and the other shuffled over and gave her the other.

"Hi, I'm Chanterelle, official reporter for InterKingdom News, Channel 173, how would you describe, your… um… stellar victory?"

Luigi was unaware of himself blushing - and scratching his head. The Koopa Troop members poked fun at him.

"Well, I'm…erm…fast?"

The crowd laughed, and Chanterelle was taken by surprise.

"Indeed you are!" she said, in a lame attempt at continuing the conversation. But she couldn't, so they went instead to Bowser Jr.

Luigi had just been embarrassed - and not by a racer, but by a _reporter_!

This time, the koopa prince appeared on screen.

"Bowser Jr., how do you feel about coming in second?"

"I WONT LET YOU WIN THE TOURNAMENT, LUIGI, YOU ******, YOU AREN'T SKILLED ENOUGH TO DO SO!"

Jr. apparently had no problem with swearing into the camera, although the audience did and booed. Chanterelle looked angry at being dismissed and went to talk with Yoshi.

"Yoshi win! Yoshi win! Yoshi-yoshi number one! I know! Yoshi! Yo-SHI!"

The reporters merely raised an eyebrow, and continued onto Bowser, who was even more bad-tempered then his son, absolutely shouting at to the camera. He dismissed all the top-ranked racers in the tournament, bad-mouthing especially Mario and Luigi, and making a mess of everything.

Mario merely boasted and talked about his tactics.

Rosalina's interview was a bit more pleasing, and yet it wasn't at all exciting. The star princess also was quiet and Lubba did pretty much all the talking, but it wasn't focused on the race and the crew went away.

Lakitu shook his head his tongue and floated onto the course.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Boys and girls! What a race we have seen today! Now, to round off all the action and to show you the scores! But first, lets look at the time!"

Lakitu pointed to the huge screen. It darkened, and then a table lit up again:

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Luigi | L Charger | 4:47:31

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 4:50:17

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 4:52:11

Bowser | Koopa King | 4:55:17

Mario | Red Racer | 5:03:28

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 5:03:59

Peach | Heart Kart | 5:05:33

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 5:07:12

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 5:08:56

Wario | Gold Buster | 5:10:11

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 5:11:24

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 5:12:10

Daisy | Flower Power | 5:15:36

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 5:16:44

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 5:19:00

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 5:39:19

Luigi's memory of the course had him almost lap Birdo. Except for Bowser, and the fact that Mario and Rosalina didn't go so well, everything else was pretty much ordinary.

Lakitu shouted: "Now, the scores!"

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Luigi | L Charger | 43

Mario | Red Racer | 41

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 40

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 34

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 33

Wario | Gold Buster | 16

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 15

Peach | Heart Kart | 15

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 12

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 9

Daisy | Flower Power | 7

Bowser | Koopa King | 7

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 0

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

"Folks! Unbelievable news! People, Luigi has surprised the crowds and is now coming in number one! He's not letting anyone - and that means anyone - get in his way of his goal! The absolute underdog (Luigi groaned at this point) is now coming in front!"

"Awww, cheer up!" Toadbert said with a smile, pointing to the score table. Luigi was sometimes surprised at the blue-capped toad's point of view - one minutes he's angry, the next he's happy.

Lakitu was rapping it all up. "So, from my point of view, this has been one of the greatest races so far - standout points being Luigi coming first and Bowser coming fourth. Watch out Mario, or you'll fall!"

He also informed the crowd that the next race, taking place at Wario's Gold Mine, whilst also telling them to not miss the race. Luigi and Toadbert nodded at each other. Wario's Gold Mine was notorious for its difficulty, and yet they won't tackle it 'til two more days.


	8. Chapter 8: Wario's Gold Mine

After a long flight back in which Luigi could finally sit next to his bro, he and Toadbert went to their small house painted green which they shared temporarily during the course of the kart tournament. Mario was across the street, in his red one, and his mechanic Toadofsky moved in also.

Luigi, having nothing better to do, casually flicked on the TV which he and his mechanic started to watch. Incidentally, the channel was no other than InterKingdom News, Channel 173, and Luigi found himself having to deal with the embarrassment of him being on TV.

It was humiliation all over again. He could hear quite clearly Mario and Toadosky laughing next door.

After supper, Luigi changed into his nightwear and prepared for bed, a rather neat one with light green stripes. Toadbert moved into his smaller toad-sized one with light blue stripes, and team Luigi quickly fell asleep.

Little did they no that both of them dreamt dreams of the upcoming Wario's Gold Mine race.

The next day came and went, and then it was race day. Wario's Gold Mine, as its name implied, took place in a treacherous mine run by no other than Mario's enemy, Wario. The two are known to be bitter rivals, and that the rivalry heats up especially during Mario Kart races.

Luigi watched the scene with interest. _His_ evil nemesis, Waluigi, had just entered the pits with his bullet-themed kart painted purple, the Purple Buster. Its appearance made it seem like a hypersonic jet aircraft on wheels. Wario's Gold Buster, despite having a similar name, was something entirely different. It was more round, and looked more powerful.

As this race did have housing for spectators, reporters of almost every news channel took to the scene. Luigi looked for the camera crew for Channel 173, InterKingdom News, and found them fighting for a place with some strong Goomba businessmen.

Luigi, for the second time (the first was in Toad's Factory) found himself starting in first - a truly remarkable feeling. Bowser Jr., in his clown car-themed Koopa Chaser, was right behind him, followed by the round egg-shaped green-spotted white Yoshi Egg and then the spiked off-roader look-alike Koopa King, driven by Bowser. Mario, in his classic kart, the Red Racer, was behind him, and then it is Rosalina, whose kart, the Rainbow Comet, looked like a magnificent fusion of a comet and a shooting star.

Once again, the Lakitu signalled the start of the race.

Luigi's L Charged zoomed ahead, still in first, and raced down a huge roller-coaster like slide made of wood to claim the first item box. Bowser Jr. and Yoshi got the others. In case they got a shell, Luigi was hesitant to use his star so early.

Sure enough, Yoshi launched a Green Shell which didn't look like missing. Luigi instantly pushed his "Launch" key, and the Green Shell easily got deflected. Bowser Jr. used his lightning - but since Luigi was still affected by the star, he didn't shrink at all.

After a tight turn with no fences, in which all the racers instantly slowed, it was into a huge cavern. Huge mining machines which usually took up the road had been moved, and replaced with automated vehicles mimicking mine karts programmed to home in on racers.

One targeted Luigi.

Luigi managed to not allow the mine kart get any closer then 2 metres before it reached its turn-off, and then it wasn't a threat anymore.

Yoshi couldn't avoid his, however. The kart got him and rammed him, sending him back behind Bowser, Mario, Rosalina and the now-6th-placed Donkey Kong.

After that area, the track curved out again, and after some more of those treacherous turns, it was back to the start/finish line. Toadbert, in his allocated pit, grinned proudly.

Luigi still kept his position at first, but Bowser was simply way too slow to keep his position, and soon Mario and others overtook him. Bowser Jr. has still managed to keep his second place.

"End of lap 1, and there haven't been many place changes!" Lakitu exclaimed into his microphone. The reporters easily took up the news. Into the second lap, and Luigi's item box turned out to be triple red shells.

"Luigi is as lucky as ever in these races!" Lakitu said. Once again, Luigi didn't face any opposition from the 2nd and 3rd placed racers.

Bowser Jr. kept his distance from the L Charger (having got a fake item box), but was careful not to fall behind. Mario had found himself with a blue shell.

Toadofsky looked at his LCD screen and screamed "BLUE SHELL!" in delight.

Two pits away, Toadbert instantly heard the news. He looked to his right, and found Bowser Jr.'s goomba mechanic busying himself with a cup of coffee - unaware of the news.

Toadbert phoned Luigi.

"Luigi!" he said in a low whisper, so Toadofsky wouldn't hear. "Mario's got a blue shell! Brake behind Jr.!"

Mario's lips curled up, and looked at the race leader. Luigi. "You're not taking my place, brother!" he hissed menacingly. The shell fixed itself onto the L Charger, preparing to hit…

…but it hit the Koopa Chaser instead.

"WHAT THE - !" Mario shouted, finding the L Charger just behind the Koopa Chaser before the point of contact. A detailed re-play on the big screen clearly showed Luigi breaking, the blue shell stopping and then whizzing off in the direction of the new first-placed kart.

Bowser Jr. was _fuming_. He shot Toadette, who was racing next to him, a glance and charged sideways at the Pink 'Shroom. The tiny kart lost all control and smashed right into a warp pipe and exploded in a plume of fire. The steel driver's seat allowed its occupant to survive, but its race was clearly finished. Medical teams rushed onto the track.

"Right up you're a**, ya son-of-a-*****!" Jr. said. He then ferociously punched in the numbers and phoned his mechanic.

"Goomez! GOOMEZ! Hurry up, or I'll deduct your pay _once again_!" The Goomba quickly waddled over to the receiver.

"Goomez, _Luigi somehow knew_, and it's ALL YOUR FAULT that you didn't phone be _earlier_! Now I've have to race with that mushroom-headed loudmouth and that _STUPID PRINCESS_! AAAAAR-"

Toadbert was chuckling to himself when he got head bonked in the face and was sent flying - right into a stack of spare wheels. His head instantly bruised and swelled up, and then a wheel fell right on top if it, knocking Toadbert out. Goomez mouthed a "serves you right", _jumped _and _kicked _Toadbert's face, and went back to his own pit.

By then, it was Lap 3, and the cavern part. The automated mine karts haven't claimed any victims yet, all they did was shuffle the line-up.

The emergency crew was too distracted with Toadette, who had to be helped out of the crumpled 'Pink Shroom, to notice Goomez' foul play. Toadofsky was in the bathroom and didn't find out either, and nor did Lubba, at another pit.

"Toadbert! Thanks a lot for your help!" Luigi smiled into the phone, and yet there was no response. "Toadbert?" still no response.

A bolt of ice raced up Luigi's spine. Something was wrong. Luigi urgently looked at the pits at the end of the lap (his red shells also were still there) looked at every pit. Lubba was in Team Rosalina's, Toadofsky in Team Mario's, and Goomez in Team Bowser Jr.'s. But Team Luigi's was empty, and its shelf of tyres had fallen.

Without thinking at all about the race, Luigi screamed "TOADBERT!" and raced into the pits.

The crowd was instantly taken by surprise, but the Race Officials knew something was now wrong and followed. Luigi went out of his kart and pushed the tyres aside, lifting the dazzled toad from the mess.

"What's go on here?" a shy guy official wearing sunglasses said. A female Koopa was interviewing Goomez.

"Didn't do nothin', ma'am" Goomez said casually.

A team of referees was sent to bring Toadsworth and Lakitu, and the Toad Police was now on the scene. A moustached toad was inspecting the damage.

"Stop the race!" Toadsworth sternly said to Lakitu. Lakitu nodded and made an announcement, and the race was officially postponed.

An ice pack was resting on Toadbert's head, and an ambulance was called by the time Bowser Jr. rolled his Koopa Chaser back into the pits after another run. After he saw all the figures in the bay, the first thing he did was fake a face of sympathy, before silently creeping back into the restroom, pretending it wasn't his buisness - but not before the police saw him.

"Hey!" a toad shouted at Goomez; "Bring your racer back here!" Goomez, not wanting further problems, understood.

"You do realise that, if you or your mechanic made this, it is a serious breach of Mario Kart rules, right?" a yoshi policeman pointed it out. Eventually, Goomez was banned from all Mario Kart tournaments, but, despite the best efforts of Luigi, who said it was a perfectly planned out and co-ordinated team attack, Bowser Jr. was cleared and drove off.

Lakitu also said that the race would officially resume two days later, and, instead of starting again it would start in Lap 4, in the order of racers before Luigi went off. He also stated that he did not know wether Luigi and Bowser Jr. would be racing, although he described the latter will be "highly unlikely to do so".

Soon, the young koopa had become the talk of the town. Always portrayed in a negative light, there were many theories, both on the attack on Luigi and the one on Toadette, the wackiest being that Bowser Jr. and his father were really terrorists in disguise who entered the tournament to take out the racers, one by one.

Officially, however, Goomez was charged to 10 years in prison plus another 5 on parole, as well as community service. After reviewing the conversation between the racer and his mechanic many times, it was deemed that Jr. in no way was involved in the assault, and was cleared (although he did receive an official warning for the Toadette incident) to race. Toadbert was well on the way to recovery also his chances to aid Luigi were pretty dubious, and Luigi found himself without a mechanic for the first time. Toadette believed herself to be a victim of bad luck more than anything - after all, Bowser Jr. never directed any insults or threats at _her_ - and besides, she had just got a brand new, identical kart, newly rechristened the _Pink 'Shroom II. _


	9. Chapter 9: Searching for a Mechanic

Luigi had already now gotten into the rhythm of being a contestant in a Mario Kart race - but this time, something was different. Not only is he placed way better than in the previous tournaments (where the best he could do was get an 6th, and even then superstar racers Rosalina and Toadette weren't even present), he was also lacking a mechanic, due to a freak attack by Bowser Jr.'s, Goomez, during the previous race. This meant that he either has to either: a) forfeit, or b) get a temporary new one. He chose the second option.

The first thing he did was scour the streets of Toad Town for any available options. He managed to ask a couple of boomerang bros with decent mechanical skills, and yet they weren't keen followers of Mario Kart at all. A shy guy insulted him, calling him a "joke", and although a girl toad with braces was keen to take up the challenge, it was later found that she didn't know a _thing _about karts.

Luigi knew there was still one day left until the re-opening of the race, where it will commence on lap 4, at exactly 9:45 at Wario's Gold Mine. So far, his kart has not been serviced yet, and had an empty fuel tank. He had to find a mech - and get his kart fixed - before the race.

Luigi kept on walking to the heart of Toad Town, just before the castle. The centre of the town was remarkably quiet, even though it was still early morning, and a light fog had settled over the town. The only one there was a small, cute-looking light blue star child giggling and playing.

Luigi kept on walking; he had no time to waste and he headed over to the mechanic shop - but it was closed - "re-open after Mario Kart tournament" - a note on the doorstop said.

Luigi kicked a can of soda drink angrily as he went across the square again, when someone nudged him. It was the light-blue star child.

"Hi! I'm Lumalee!" the luma said.

Luigi smiled - he liked Rosalina's Lumas, and this one might have just come from the observatory.

"Hey, kid." Luigi patted the luma and walked on.

"Are you looking for a mechanic?" Lumalee enquired curiously.

"Yeah, I am. I race in the Mario Kart tournament and the race -"

Lumalee's eyes bulged. "You race in the MARIO KART tournament!"

"Um, yeah, well, you should know me, you're mama's in there after all" Luigi smiled back.

"She's never told us lumas about you" Lumalee stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh".

"I think I can be of some help to you!" the star child eagerly said.

It turned out that Lumalee had some experience with kart racing, and, despite his appearance, he turned out to be a decent mechanic. The little luma managed to fill the fuel time, change the wheels (with a little help from Luigi) and do a detailed inspection _5 whole minutes off from Toadbert's best time_! Lumalee was also cheerful and happy, making the process a lot less tiring and much more fun.

After lunch at Luigi's, it was time for Lumalee to get back to the observatory, and his promised to be back tomorrow before the race. Luigi, having nothing better to do, watching intense action movies with his brother all the way until 10:00 at night.

He turned and twisted in his bed, having some very bad dreams, one nightmare after another. It started with the Toadbert incident, but, instead of stomping, Goomez used a machine gun for no reason at all. It might seem funny, but it definitely wasn't. Then he was Toadette, and found Bowser Jr. coming right at him. The Pink 'Shroom lurched and headed straight for the side of the warp pipe - the ejection level wasn't working - and then impact.

In another dream, he and Bowser Jr. were fighting on top of their karts while racing at Wario's Gold Mine at once. Jr. was ferociously trying to smack Luigi, but he was dodging it expertly, but then Jr., while Luigi was turning and hence off guard, came over to his kart and pushed him clean off the edge. The Fly Guy rescue crew tried to rescue him but ended up failing miserably, but before Luigi actually hit the ground miles below the track, he woke up.

And found his sheets on the ground and his forehead dripping with sweat. The moonlight was casting an eerie blue glow through the room, making everything seem sinister and dangerous.

His pillow utterly drenched, Luigi turned on the lamp next to his bed and read quietly for a couple of minutes before finally dozing off.

Luigi eventually found himself woken by his alarm clock - again. It was a bright, sunny day, birds were chirping and the Paratroopa mailman was already on duty, and knocked on his door.

"Hello" Luigi greeted the mailman. The Koopa did not respond and instead threw his mail - an envelope - into his lap, and flew off grumpily.

Luigi merely raised an eyebrow of disapproval and looked at his letter. It was addressed to Luigi - and had an icon of a grand star in the middle - Rosalina's icon. Luigi felt uneasy, it wasn't everyday that you'll receive a letter from the star princess, _especially when she's racing against you._

Luigi took of the tape and opened it. It came from - not Rosalina - but Lumalee.

_Dear Luigi_

_Sorry! Cannot come today! Urgent business at the observatory!_

_Lumalee _

Luigi gasped - no mechanic equals no race. "Oh, god" he mumbled, instantly put on his green overalls and cap and went out. His opened his garage door, and rolled out the L Charger (it was registered, making it also a legal street vehicle) and blasted off down the street. Luigi didn't care if he was speeding - he had to get to the observatory. He parked his car, found the launch star leading to the observatory and launched himself up to space.

Rosalina was not present, and neither was Lumalee. The other lumas only stated that he went to Sarasaland on business. Luigi then got back to his car, and drove off to Wario's Gold Mine - he won't be racing today.

En route, it was obvious to Luigi that Mario Kart fever had gripped the town. The radios were all talking about it, with what they claimed their own 'live coverage' of the race - Luigi also found a rather surprising number of people betting for him - a new record for Team Luigi. After all, he'd be starting at 1st in the race, or rather, he was _supposed _to start 1st. Luigi glanced over at the L Charger's portable spare seat, right behind him and slightly higher, which usually contained Toadbert when they drove towards the race. Luigi drove into - not the pits - but the car park, just adjacent to Wario's Gold Mine's stadium. Parked right beside him was Toadette's new _Pink 'Shroom II _- and suddenly he had an idea. "You never stop me from racing, Bowser Jr., you pest" Luigi muttered under his breath as he rushed towards the stadium.

Lakitu was still present, but this time, there was something noticeably different about him - he was anxious. "Ladies and gentlemen, there's only 5 minutes left towards the race, and Luigi _still _hasn't shown up! The race still has to start of schedule, though, not a minute too early or a minute to late - we'd have to start without him, and at this rate, he'd get a DNF!"

Luigi ran up and down the aisles of the grandstand, hoping to catch a glimpse of Toadette - or more importantly, her mechanic. There was not a single pink-capped toad in the crowd. 4 and ½ minutes left. Luigi asked a boo.

"IT'S LUIGI-" The boo gasped.

"Just answer the question!" Luigi said back. A couple of spectators had turned to watch.

"Nope, haven't seen Toadette at all. She's probably _crying _about her crash at home, hehehehehe"

Luigi threatened to punch the boo up, but then realise that he was short on time, and that would create too much of a scene. Instead, he continued to scour the seats. 4 minutes to go. Suddenly, he found Toadette (she couldn't race, as Jr. rammed her _before _the race was postponed) at the very last row - with her mechanic, Toadiko, sitting right beside her. Luigi wasted no time.

"Luigi! What are you do here? The Lakitu's waiting for you, the race is about to start!" Toadette enquired.

"I haven't got a mechanic today! Can Toadiko be my mech for one race only?" Luigi was desperate.

Toadiko was appalled. But Toadette instead nodded.

Toadiko was very reluctant to go with Luigi, but Toadette told her to do so. She grumbled and complained all the way, with Luigi hurrying. 3 and ½ minutes. Luigi exited the grandstand and made way for the L Charger.

"Wow, your car is a total piece of C-R-A-P!" Toadiko said. "Compared with, er, the _grandeur _of the Pink 'Shroom II (she pointed at the vehicle), it goings without saying that this -"?

"Get IN!" Luigi snarled, and pointed to the spare seat. There was only three minutes left.

"Urgh, this is the worst ride EVER!" Toadiko whinged, but complied. Luigi instantly on the motor, and the L Charger speedily sped out.

"YOU'RE GONNA HIT SOMEONE, YOU ******!" Toadette screamed, clutching the rear seat, but Luigi still sped up. 2 and ½ minutes. Luigi waited for the turn-off to the pits, but the light was on red. 2 minutes. Still on red.

Luigi didn't care and turned anyway.

"Hey! Do you even _care _about traffic rules!" Toadiko asked.

"No I don't" said Luigi, and suddenly turned right, scaring the toad. He counted the pits - and groaned - he was beside Jr. again.

1 minute left. "Get out here!" Luigi said to Toadiko, who was pleased. Luigi than rocked onto the track, where the other karts already were, with half a minute left!"

"LUIGI IS HERE!" Lakitu shouted. "AND HE'S GOT TOADETTE'S MECHANIC, TOADIKO, AS HIS!"

Luigi started at first place (Jr. complained) and the race started at first place. The Lakitu had overcome his surprise, and was now holding the light before the racers.

Red light. On your marks!

Yellow light. Get ready!

Green light. GO!

The racers all went at once. The race had begun.


	10. Chapter 10: Restarting the Race

Luigi took the first item box, while Mario got the second and Rosalina the third. This race was far more intense, due to it only having two laps (although not technically correct, as the line-up was decided before the race was postponed). Mario smashed a red shell at Luigi, who easily blocked it by putting his single green one behind his kart. Rosalina found a blooper, which targeted Mario, and yet, due to his expertise, didn't bother him one bit. The cavern part came and went, and an automated mine kart forced Luigi to turn left, thus allowing Mario to edge ever-so-closer. He continued to gain on Luigi who took the turns carefully, and attempted to overtake Luigi from inside on the final turn!

Luigi showed his older brother no mercy and instantly pushed him, sending his back right wheel over the cliff. The fly guy rescue crew had already positioned themselves underneath the Red Racer should he fall. Luigi thought about giving the front another little bump, but Rosalina was now alongside him, and so he ignored Mario and continued to race.

Rosalina and Luigi. Racing side by side. Rosalina took the centre item box of the final lap, while Luigi went for the left. The cosmic princess got triple green shells, while the L Charger got triple red ones.

Rosalina was not content with coming in second, so she took a _huge _gamble and came charging at Luigi. Two of her green shells took out two of Luigi's red shells, knocking all four out. However, Luigi still had his third shell right beside the Rainbow Comet, while Rosalina's was on the other side. So Rosalina lost.

Luigi happily cruised the rest of the cavern part, and was now on the home straight. He punched his fist up in dignity. He had won again.

…when a blue shell smacked him up just _inches _from the line!

"NO!" Luigi screamed, his kart facing the wrong direction.

Yoshi and Donkey Kong came around the bend, followed by Mario and Bowser Jr. Luigi had a plan - but it had to be executed absolutely perfectly. As Yoshi came closer to the finish line, thinking that the L Charger was broken, and his grin widening, it came back to life and drove right at the Yoshi Egg! Luigi was careful on having enough speed for Yoshi to not avoid him, and yet not go as fast as him, and the Yoshi Egg _pushed _Luigi's L Charger over the line and the green machine came first! But Yoshi had lost too much speed, and Donkey Kong easily took second place. However, the dino's car was too broken and couldn't complete the race. Luigi suddenly knew what he had done, and felt sorry for Yoshi. He decided to return the favour that night, and suddenly he wished he didn't start the collison.

Both the L Charger and the Yoshi Egg had crumpled front ends, however luckily Luigi (and Yoshi) sustained no serious injuries, and was perfectly fine when he went back to Toadiko. A sledge bro led Yoshi back to the office at Wario's Gold Mine, where he got some minor treatment, meaning that, although he could compete at the next race, which was in the Special Cup, his score for this one would be a zero and 3rd would be given to Mario.

The times flashed - and as for the time, the racing time of the first half of this race (before postponing) did not count, and so it looked very short.

Lakitu was broadcasting the news.

Racer: | Kart: | Time:

Luigi | L Charger | 2:13:47

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 2:13:50

Mario | Red Racer | 2:15:23

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 2:15:56

Wario | Gold Buster | 2:16:43

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 2:17:11

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 2:18:09

Bowser | Koopa King | 2:18:44

Peach | Heart Kart | 2:19:55

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 2:20:01

Daisy | Flower Power | 2:20:23

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 2:21:33

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 2:22:12

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 2:39:18

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | DNF

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | DNF

It was an unique table - not only is it the closest Mario Kart race in this tournament so far, it also was the first time in this tournament that Yoshi didn't get a point at all - he's got a "did not finish". Toad, also, would get his very first point.

"Now, lets look at the score, shall we?" Lakitu said, and then nodded to the worker who was controlling the scoreboard.

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Luigi | L Charger | 53

Mario | Red Racer | 49

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 45

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 40

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 34

Wario | Gold Buster | 22

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 21

Peach | Heart Kart | 17

Toadette | Pink Shroom 2 | 15

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 13

Bowser | Koopa King | 10

Daisy | Flower Power | 7

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 1

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Luigi was pulling further in front. Toadiko was waiting for him impatiently while Luigi did a victory lap around the course, pleasing the crowd very much, before the L Charger back into the pits.

Toadiko continued to complain as Luigi went through the post-race mechanical work - he didn't want that toad getting her hands on _his _machine - especially when she thought of it as, as she stated, "C-R-A-P". Everything was in order, except for some tiny dents here and there, plus a bucket load of dust from the cavern - something normal for Wario's Gold Mine.

Despite Toadiko's objections, Luigi still couldn't go home - it was time for the festivities to celebrate the end of the Shell Cup and the start of the prestigious - yet extremely hard but rewarding - Special Cup. The winner with the most score would then take home, at the end of that final cup, the marvellous trophy, made out of the finest gold in the kingdom, and his or her name would be engraved on a special tablet located just outside Princess Peach's Castle. Mario had already won it lots of times, but for Luigi, it would be a dream come true.

That night, Mario, Luigi, Peach and Daisy, along with Rosalina, Toad (who jumped and down excitedly, in his usual manner) and Yoshi (still a bit upset after the loss) went out to eat at the Italian restaurant, _le Goomba's Pizzeria Ristorante, _known for the excellence of its cuisine and is widely regarded by the majority of the population as the finest restaurant in the kingdom. As always, booking is required for entry, but, due to the importance of the guests (or, more appropriately, the importance of Mario, the hero, and Peach, the ruler) the waiter, a shy guy, did not hesitate to give the crew the best seats and service - a table for 7. It is located on the second floor, and gives a grand view of night-time toad town. There was scarcely anyone out in the streets at that time of day, and beautiful flood-lights illuminated the largely identical building plus the amazing castle, and bathed them in greens, reds and purples, as well as pink (official color/colour of the kingdom).

Both Mario and Luigi had three large slices of delicious pizza plus a large-sized bowl of spaghetti served with sauce. Peach had two slices, Daisy had three, Rosalina had three, Toad had three, and Yoshi (being a Yoshi, of course) devoured one entire pizza and a half with 9.

"Thank you, Luigi. That was very filling" Rosalina commented on the food. "Yoshi-yoshi!" Yoshi nodded in agreement, and then continued to stuff himself with dessert. By then, it was 9:00 at night and most of the diners had left the building, and Toad Town was dark and quiet - not a sound was to be heard outside. Peach paid, and after the group left the building, the pizzeria closed just afterwards.

Peach, Daisy and Toad made way for the castle, escorted by some toad guards (Daisy was staying at Peach's castle during the duration of the Mario Kart tournament) and walked up the deserted Toad Town's main street. Yoshi waved goodbye (all negative thoughts about the race now out of his mind) and set off for his own home (Yoshi's Island was too far away) just a few streets distance. Rosalina smiled at Luigi and then walked off to the launch star leading up to the observatory in orbit, leaving Mario and Luigi alone on the street.

"Well, we'd better get going, then" Mario pointed out cheerily, and the bros turned right. The inhabitants of Toad Town were all in bed, and the occasional streetlamp cast eerie shadows across the streets. Mario whistled and wasn't bothered at all, but Luigi kept looking around, he had been troubled by darkness ever since he had to rescue his bro from King Boo's mansion. Mario himself lived in a mansion, which is the largest non-government related house in the town, while Luigi occupied a slightly smaller one.

By then, Toadbert had fully recovered, and was already waiting for him inside the house. Luigi was too tired to chat and prepared for bed; Toadbert did the same. The clock red 10:29.

The next day was just as bright as the previous, and all the toads were already up and doing their daily business like clockwork. Trumpets sounded from Peach's castle. Luigi and Toadbert were also up early, and had some leisure time - the Special Cup was only a minor worry, and one that was still two days away.


	11. Chapter 11: Luigi's Mansion

The Special Cup had been a tradition of the Mario Kart tournament, along with the Mushroom Cup, ever since its inception. It always consists of longer, more tedious courses, often sharper turns and areas where falling off the edge is common. Even though a huge variety of courses, every single time the last course is the notorious Rainbow Road, while 90% of the time the second-last is the lava-filled Bowser's Castle. Luigi, who had experienced the sheer intensity of this cup more than a few times, thought of it as the most challenging car races in Mushroom Kingdom history - and each year the courses get harder than the year before.

This year, the first course of this prestigious cup is Luigi's Mansion. The name is controversial, as the mansion is owned - not by Luigi - but by the resident boos, and technically it isn't Luigi's course either (each racer is allowed an absolute maximum of one course which they own, and Luigi's is Luigi Circuit of the Mushroom Cup). Some have stated that it is better to refer to it as "King Boo's Mansion" - but the name "Luigi's Mansion" had stuck.

On race day, Luigi and Toadbert drove in the L Charger via a long, winding road full of dead trees and animal carcasses to the entrance of the mansion, where the pole position shootout will be taking place. Except for Mario, Bowser Jr. and Rosalina, no other racer had already arrived yet, and the front area is still largely deserted.

The course layout is long and complex. It starts _inside _the mansion, and, unlike all other courses, the path is exceeding narrow making overtaking difficult and in some parts impossible. Starting with a few tightly-contested turns, it then makes way for three item boxes, before going into a narrow spiral staircase (the steps have been replaced by ramps to allow kart access). It then leads to the second floor, another series of tight turns, before ascending again to the third floor. On the third floor, racers have to deal with various holes in the floor which would automatically receive them a DNF should they fall down them. Then it is a long, long downwards-sloped turn all the way back to the start/finish line located on the first floor. Again, five laps.

The pole position shootouts started, and Luigi, coming first, was started the round. He raced closely and with precision, and zipped through the course. The three laps gave him a highly respectable time of 3:15:21.

Mario was next up. The Red Racer did the same, although taking advantage of each turn more than the L Charger, and came home with a 3:12:26. _Almost three whole seconds in front_! Luigi, who was feeling proud of himself then, gasped.

Rosalina, with this being her first Mario Kart tournament (and having no knowledge of this track), unfortunately did not go so well, and a 3:15:57 meant she had earned a place behind the younger Mario bro.

Bowser Jr.'s time wasn't any better, and he got a 3:16:11. Yoshi and Wario all didn't even come close.

The race then prepared to start. Lakitu went onto the course and did his usual actions, and then the race started - with blistering pace. The course, being so narrow, meant that in the first few turns the racers pushed and scraped each other's karts. Bowser Jr. was trying to overtake on his left, and Rosalina was risking an outside overtake on the right. The Koopa Chaser's distinctive spiked design made distinctive marks and scratches on the L Charger's surface.

But then, at the item box area, both racers attempted for the box, but it just doesn't happen. Luigi threw his red shell at Mario, in front, something the Red Racer just couldn't avoid.

Bang. Crash. Luigi takes the lead.

This high-octane action continued up the staircase, and once again there was some violent pushing and shoving, but it wasn't harming Luigi, who was way out in front. The second floor's turns wasn't contested by anyone on Luigi either, and his lead extended. On the third floor, Luigi then all too easily avoided the holes, but for the other racers - who was still bunched up - it wasn't so simple. Wario saw a gaping hole right in front of him, and slammed on the brakes - but Peach, who was behind him, continued to push. "NOO!" Wario shouted, and fell through the hole. Peach then released her mistake but the Heart Kart fell in right behind him. DNF.

For Luigi, the race was a breeze as the second lap started. Into the item box area, and he got a banana. These were extra useful in this narrow course, and put it right in the middle of the course. Some time after, it claimed its victim, who turned out to be Yoshi.

Luigi, once again, was unthreatened throughout the second lap, although Mario had pulled away from the group and is now gaining with every turn.

Luigi went up the spiralling staircase, still in front. He was not sure just how far Mario was behind him, as he could not hear Lakitu's commentating, and Toadbert, who was miles away from Team Mario's pit, had no idea either. Luigi looked at his rear view mirror, hoping that his brother wasn't yet in sight, but unfortunately he was too distract and went straight at a 90 degree turn. Mario slammed the brakes - Luigi was blocking the road.

The L Charger went straight in, and Luigi, if it wasn't for his seatbelt, which stopped him abruptly, he would have went straight through the windscreen. Instead, he banged into the steering wheel. Which hurt.

The first thing he did was check himself for any signs of serious injury. Although there was some light bruises in his head, he could still drive. Luigi then turned the ignition key of the L Charger, hoping that he could still race. It did not respond. Luigi at first thought that the kart was broken, but then he found that the ignition key had snapped clean off.

Luigi told Toadbert the news. "Any chance of a re-start?" Luigi questioned nervously.

Toadbert, within seconds, responded. "Yes"

Toadbert's instructions was loud and clear. "First, look under the steering wheel. You should see three wires"

"Yes"

"Ok. Now cut the blue wire and the yellow wire, but leave the red wire alone"

"You sure about this?" Luigi didn't like the idea of cutting wires.

"Yes, I am sure. Now cut it"

Luigi looked for scissors, but there wasn't any. Instead, he used his teeth.

"They are cut. What should I do now?"

"Tie the wires together"

Luigi did as he was told. The old, battered engine of the L Charger slowly chugged back to life.

Luigi then went out of the tight curve. Fortunately, and miraculously, since he blocked the road the racers behind him formed two lines, honking their horns impatiently. But now the L Charger was moving again - and as fast as ever.

Mario already tried to overtake him on the second tight turn, but Luigi held him off securely. Mario tried the turn after that - to no avail. Luigi then went up an ascending corridor to the third floor, narrowly missing some of the turns. After that, the L Charger could finally use its power-up on the way down - a mushroom. The L Charger had now regained its pace and charging ahead. Third lap.

The item box was found to be a green shell for Luigi, triple green shells for Mario, and a blooper for Rosalina, who was coming in third. No blue shell this time. Luigi breathed a sigh of relief.

But Mario didn't keep his shells as a shield around his kart - he threw them. The first one bounced dangerously close to the L Charger's right hind wheel. Then came the second - aimed straight at the kart - but luckily, there was a tight turn and it again missed.

Mario cursed and then fired his last shell.

It sped towards Luigi at an alarming rate. But the L Charger _hasn't used its own single green shell yet!_

Lucky.

No racer dared an overtake, and the fourth lap didn't see much shuffling. Now, of course, was the fifth and final lap. Although largely uneventful, Luigi was still leading as they made their way down the final portion. Mario was right on his tail.

BANG. Mario used his item and blasted into the lead!

"NOOO!" Luigi should desperately, but it was decided. Mario had won the first race of the Special Cup. The L Charger and the Rainbow Comet then raced through the line side by side, but it was later decided that Luigi was just quicker.

Lakitu informed everyone of the times:

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Mario | Red Racer | 7:36:21

Luigi | L Charger | 7:36:58

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 7:37:00

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 7:39:11

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 7:40:24

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 7:40:48

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 7:41:25

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | 7:42:03

Daisy | Flower Power| 7:42:29

Bowser | Koopa King | 7:45:33

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 7:45:49

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 7:46:30

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 7:47:57

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 7:52:07

Wario | Gold Buster | DNF

Peach | Heart Kart | DNF

The course, due its narrow nature, means that the line-up hasn't changed much. Soon, the all-important scores showed.

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Luigi | L Charger | 62

Mario | Red Racer | 59

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 53

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 46

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 41

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 25

Wario | Gold Buster | 22

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | 18

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 18

Peach | Heart Kart | 17

Bowser | Koopa King | 11

Daisy | Flower Power | 9

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 1

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Luigi expected a warm welcome back in the pits, however, in though he is still first on the board, the focus this time was on Mario. The red-hatted plumber wasn't too satisfied with his score, thinking he should have done better, and was shaking his head as he got out of the Red Racer, and waved the mass of reporters and cameramen aside, and he and Toadofsky went into their own small-sized small room located just behind their pit. They wanted to win this - and they still had two races, which was plenty of time, to do so.

Luigi thought about the next course, which was Bowser's Castle. As the scoreboard shows, that race, plus Rainbow Road, would well and truly be a fight to the very finish.


	12. Chapter 12: Bowser's Castle

Bowser's Castle was a fitting name for a castle of that size and design. It was dark, it was dangerous, and it was filled with lava, which contributes to its unbearable heat. Luigi still had vivid memories of last's years race in this very same course - it wasn't pretty, and he fell in, and although the structure of his kart protected him from any burns, it gave him a Did Not Finish.

The course is a typical course in the Special Cup. It starts outside the actual castle, on a narrow road on a lake of lava. The course, after a row of 3 item boxes, curves into a narrow wooden ramp which goes downhill and then uphill, and, during that section, there are a series of speed boosts which the racer can use. If done correctly, the racer will be flung into the entrance of the actual castle. The margin of error allowed in this part is relatively large, but if a racer completely and utterly misses, a DNF is given.

The entrance is shaped like Bowser's head, which it was designed after, and is fearsome sight. The racers then have to go through a wide hallway with notoriously placed poles. Any stuff up here and a crash is pretty much guaranteed. After that hallway is some small steps leading down, and then an even harder U-turn with no fence. An unsuccessful turn means straight into lava and DNF ing. Another tight turn leads to a half-pipe, with the presence of lava all around it. 3 item boxes are found in the middle. Speed boosts allows experts to simply blast through the course, but it isn't so easy - a giant robotic Bowser statue at the other end shoots out banzai bills (big bullet bills with an evil grin) which, if they hit, would cause a racer to be flung up to the air. After the half-pipe, the course branches in two, which then eventually leads back and merges. The course continues onto a large turn which racers can drift on, before the path leads out of the castle and to the start/finish line.

Luigi, who had just woken up, at 4'oclock in the morning, knew that he had to face the course that day - something that is really daunting. He didn't sleep well that night - his dreams were filled with lava and danger, and saw Toadbert still soundly asleep in his own little bed, looking as if he hasn't got a care in the world. Luigi was careful not to wake his mechanic, and went out for an early-morning stroll to clear his head. The sun was just peeking up above the horizon, and there was still mist clinging to the unbearably cold air. The town's residents were all fast asleep. At the town square, Luigi thought of his encounter with Lumalee - but there was no star children here today. The mechanic shop, unsurprisingly, was now open.

When he got back to the house, Toadbert was already up and dressed. Luigi took off his heavy green jacket and replaced them with his trademark green overalls and cap. Then it was off to the races, at Bowser's castle.

The castle was so far off, it required Team Luigi to be on the road at 5 (and even then the race starts at 8 at night!). After a quick meal of mushroom and eggs, the L Charger was all ready to go. Even with starting so early, Mario, Rosalina, Yoshi, Bowser Jr. and Bowser were all there, practising. Luigi drove into his pit, which, extremely surprisingly, was far off from the ones of the other five. Instead, it was positioned between the ones of two very low-profile racers - Diddy Kong and Princess Daisy's, both who have not arrived yet.

Soon, it was time to start the race. It was now late and the sky was dark. Lakitu, did his usual actions, and then it was blast off.

Luigi was behind Mario and ahead of Rosalina, due to his starting position, and got the item box on the left - a mushroom. He overtook Mario, whose bob-omb went dangerously close to the L Charger, but luckily it didn't cause any damage, and Rosalina's golden mushroom blasted her to first place.

They soared through the sky, to land on the entrance to the castle. Rosalina expertly dodged all of the poles and Luigi followed her, unable to take the lead. Soon, it was down the flight of steps, and to the U-turn - which Luigi totally forgot - and he slammed on the brakes. Swerving left, Luigi still managed to retain his place. Up another series of speed boosts and suddenly it was the half-pipe section. The Bowser machine instantly whirred to life and shot its first Banzai Bill, directed at the star princess, but the Rainbow Comet easily avoided it. Unfortunately, it made mincemeat of Luigi.

The Banzai Bill threatened to crack the fragile roof of the L Charger, but luckily it remained intact. Even more luckily was that the 3 item boxes midway through the pipe hid only bananas and bloopers. Luigi put the pedal to the metal, all 6 cylinders clicked to life, the two exhaust pipes clogged with smoke and the 'Charger charged off behind the Rainbow Comet, seeking revenge.

But first he had to overtake the koopa prince - Bowser Jr., who had slipped into 2nd whilst at the half-pipe area. Luigi kept his distance from the spiked clown-kart, afraid of some very serious damage it might cause. In fact, the design had already caused controversy in the Mario Kart world, with fans claiming it is an illegal weapon, and yet Jr. claimed the spikes to be merely decoration, and went on to insist that he'd never attack another racer with them. But every racer knew the basic idea: keep away from them.

And so, when the course branched, Luigi took the different route, hoping to get past Jr. He wanted a mushroom so bad, or better, a golden one, but the item boxes were still a fair distance away and so he couldn't. Jr. came out of his route, a mere inch from the L Charger.

"Whoah!" Luigi cried.

Bowser Jr. flashed him a look. It wasn't a "Hello, lets race!" kind of look, but more of a "Get away or I'll ram, destroy your kart and you also!" kind of look. But Luigi wasn't going to be intimidated this easily, and flashed the look back - the racers continued side-by-side.

"It looks like a feud is started between these two racers!" Lakitu told the audience, unaware it started a long time ago.

Bowser Jr. made his move, but it was already the wide turn - Luigi drifted and Jr. all too easily had to brake for his life. Fog was forming on the L Charger, making it difficult to see, due to the sheer intensity of the heat outside. "Luigi, come on!" Luigi muttered himself as he crossed the start/finish line, and, as lap 2 started, in second.

Rosalina got a bob-omb, which she tossed without any hesitation at nothing in particular, but Luigi, who got the same item, was more determined. He didn't want to sling that walking bomb too early, he had to get in range of the L Charger. Meanwhile, in the pits, Toadbert was looking intently into his screen. Dixie Kong, Diddy Kong's mechanic, was right next to him, and a crayzee dayzee, Daisy's mechanic, was on the other side. Toadbert also saw that Mario has just got himself a red shell.

"Luigi! Red shell!" Toadbert warned.

Luigi got the message. He quickly slammed on the brakes just as Mario fired his shell - and it aimed for Rosalina instead.

The audience cheered at Luigi's quick thinking. This was the second time he'd done this - except last time it was in Wario's Gold Mine, the victim was Bowser Jr., and the weapon was a blue shell.

By then, it was time for the U-turn leading to the half-pipe. Luigi once again forgot about breaking and took it at a much-too-wide angle - _once again._ Toadbert shook his head in frustration and despair.

Luigi carried on, keeping a close eye on Mario's aggressive driving style. He fired the bob-omb, but it was a blatant miss. The red-hatted plumber, however, was patient and kept his time. The big Bowser machine went to life and spewed out a Banzai Bill - going straight to Rosalina - but the star princess managed to swerve around it again. The second one was aimed at Luigi, and also didn't hit.

It was now midway through the half-pipe - and the racers scrambled for the item boxes. Rosalina got triple green shells (Luigi punched the wheel), but he found out that his was a blue shell.

Now, blue shells are unavoidable - even if you have three green shells orbiting you. He quickly fired it, and it smacked the Rainbow Comet up - just in front of the machine - whilst it was firing a Banzai Bill.

Rosalina was flung all the way through the air, coming down hard right onto Yoshi's Yoshi Egg. The Rainbow Comet smashed clean through the 'Egg's protective shell, and it disintegrated. Parts flew everywhere, and the fly guys instantly rushed and took out its occupants - before the karts exploded in a spectacular plume of smoke and kerosene.

The crowd held their breath - and the lumas wailed unhappily. Two ambulances were already on the scene. Luckily, Rosalina sustained no serious injuries - and not only was she cleared to race on Rainbow Road, her kart was savaged relatively intact - all its systems were working - a miracle! There were only some dents - clearly showing the solid steel structure was as durable as ever.

Yoshi wasn't so lucky. His injuries were slightly more serious - quite a few nasty bruises - and also, his kart was in pieces.

Luigi was unaware of this, of course. He continued to race on and on through the course with Mario already trying to overtake. Through the start/finish line - lap 3 - and the item boxes were a banana and a lightning. Mario's lightning shrunk everyone down, and he went into 1st - which he kept all the way until the start of the fifth and final lap.

Luigi still kept his place (he'd already successfully dodged _four _green shells) as he got an item box. A red shell - just the thing to bring Mario down.

The problem was, it was already the ramp leading to the castle, and Mario was up in the air. And so the shell merely fell into the lava and disappeared.

Luigi screamed. It was a stupid, stupid mistake - and one that lacked common sense.

And so he had to contain himself - and dodge another one of Bowser Jr.'s shells - as he made his way to the half-pipe. But once again, it wasn't anything helpful - a banana.

The audience waited eagerly at the home straight. Looking at the final turn, the first racer came into view. It was Mario, who punched his fist in the air as he crossed the line and slowed.

Second was a battle between Luigi and Bowser Jr., eventually won by the plumber.

"Hey" Luigi greeted Toadbert.

"Did you see the crash?"

"Huh?"

Luigi had been so preoccupied with racing that he didn't even notice the debris - remains of the Yoshi Egg on the track.

Toadbert told Luigi all about the incident, and he went over to the pits of the green dino. His mechanic was busy, and Yoshi was still shaken by the incident.

"You alright?" Luigi asked.

"Yoshi okay"

Lakitu recapped the race, and then showed the times:

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Mario | Red Racer | 7:29:30

Luigi | L Charger | 7:30:58

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 7:31:03

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 7:34:16

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 7:35:23

Wario | Gold Buster | 7:36:21

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | 7:38:10

Peach | Heart Kart | 7:39:45

Bowser | Koopa King | 7:39:55

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 7:40:58

Daisy | Flower Power | 7:42:00

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 7:43:20

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 7:44:31

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 8:11:38

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | DNF

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | DNF

It was certainly bizarre - two of the very best racers in the Mario Kart tournament DNF'ing. A column of lava blasted into the air, captivating the audience for a few seconds, but then all eyes were back on the scoreboard as the scores showed. Mario was creeping ever-so-closer to Luigi - he had already stolen two victories from him.

Luigi knew he had to improve his game at Rainbow Road - final course of the tournament.

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Luigi | L Charger | 71

Mario | Red Racer | 69

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 54

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 53

Yoshi | Yoshi Egg | 41

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 32

Wario | Gold Buster | 27

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 24

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom | 22

Peach | Heart Kart | 20

Bowser | Koopa King | 13

Daisy | Flower Power | 9

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 2

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Toad would get his second point, but the real focus is now between the Mario bros. Luigi went back to the pits knowing that it was do or die - it was now close.

"How many days until Rainbow Road?" Luigi asked, just to make sure.

"There's 5"

Unlike the normal gap (2 days), an extra three was added to give racers time to do extra preparations. But that doesn't mean tackling Rainbow Road is now easy - nothing could be further from the truth.

"Team Luigi!" Luigi shouted. This time, he was taking home the cup.

"Team Luigi!" came Toadbert's response.


	13. Chapter 13: Blastoff

Luigi relaxed back on the couch and turned on the television, hoping for something interesting to watch. The Mushroom Kingdom had a great deal of television channels to choose from, which is pleasing, and also there's usually some variety in the shows. Flicking the remote, Luigi settled down and started to watch some news. A male balding koopa flashed onto the screen, and started reading out his announcements from a neatly placed piece of paper:

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to Toad TV Evening News. First up, the Mario Kart tournament reaches its climax as the second-last race finishes with fan favourite Mario winning once again. Despite this, earlier setbacks mean that he is only in second place, behind his brother Luigi, and must really race hard at Rainbow Road to win this year. As always, Toad TV would bring to you the final race live, complete with pre-race previews and post-race interviews. Now…"

Luigi switched the channel.

"Hello, I'm Samantha Ohtoad, and I would like to thank you for watching Mega-Mushroom news. Tonight, most importantly we have a comprehensive look at the Mario Kart series, and how it is progressing. Mario has once again claimed first place in the race earlier today, and, with only 5 days left until the next and final one, this would indeed be close. Our reporter, Benjamin McToad has all the facts."

"Good evening, Samantha. As you all a probably aware, the Mario Kart…"

This there anything _not _related to Mario Kart on?" Luigi thought as he changed the channel once again.

"Welcome. Mario Kart -"

"Nope" Luigi thought as he turned off the TV.

"MA-RI-O! MA-RI-O!" two diehard supporters of Mario were making a racket in the street, but another two fans supporting Yoshi came and a scuffle easily started. Up in the sky, a plane was making out letters of clouds advertising Rainbow Road. And it was just then that Luigi noted that his house had become a target for vandalism, with both messages of support and hate painted on its walls. Luigi shook his head, closed the door and started to make himself a cup of tea to ease his nerves.

However, Luigi had ensured either a 1st or a 2nd - both podium finishes. The third-placed Bowser Jr. - who had just overtaken Rosalina by a single point - just didn't have the points to make it. But, unfortunately, it wasn't the second-placed racer who got the cup, has his/her name inscribed on the tablet outside Peach's castle or got all the publicity. If you came second, it's a tiny miss - but it is a miss. Second just isn't good enough - he just _had _to come first.

The only problem was - Rainbow Road isn't an easy course to come first in. In fact, some racers don't even finish. On one hand, you must take your time to navigate those narrow routes while also enduring vigorous pushing and shoving from our opponents. If you fell off, there's no second chance - you just get rescued and taken back to the pits, becoming a mere spectator.

The next few days came by in a blur - it was as if time sped up just before the race. Hardly a day went by where someone wouldn't corner Luigi on the street and ask him a mountain of questions or he wouldn't get talked about on the news. It was normal for a Mario Kart racer, but, of course, all those comments weren't all positive.

Luigi has not only received hate mail and untrue statements, there are even _death threats _aimed at him. The Mario Kart community, or at least some of it - wanted Mario to beat him at Rainbow Road. In fact, Luigi had installed a high-tech camera system to protect his kart - and has already foiled an attempted sabotage.

Two nights before the race, a koopatrol supporting Bowser had attempted to sneak a bob-omb under the L Charger, set to blow up. But just as he was putting it under, Luigi had cornered him, and the koopatrol had panicked and took off - clutching the bob-omb in his hand - out of sight. It was impossible to judge who it was, because of a mask and black clothes, and the footprints didn't reveal anything either.

The night before the race, Luigi slept early. Toadbert, however, stayed up late in the garage, tinkering with the L Charger, improving it.

A spaceship was all set to take all the contestants (except Rosalina) up to space at Rainbow Road. It was a rocket ship - a scaled-up version of the starshroom docked on the Comet Observatory. Inside, the walls were white but with red dots, and the seats were arranged in a circle, looking out. It was kind of like a hollow doughnut - the racers were sitting on the narrow circular pathway, but the centre was closed due to the position of the engine.

Luigi, and Toadbert beside him, fastened their seatbelts as the countdown began. Soon, a deafening sound was heard, plus crazy vibration as the ship took off. It was a vertical ascent, and the were travelling fast. Soon, they had exited the atmosphere of the Mushroom World and were now drifting through space. The ship passed two galaxies Luigi instantly recognised - Good Egg Galaxy and Sky Station Galaxy - before coming into orbit and docking at a house situated beside the all-new rainbow road.

The racers exited into it, and took in the fabulous sight. The Mushroom World was now like a blue sphere, which looked really beautiful - something words can't even describe. It was jaw-dropping. The house was in fact a restaurant, filled with tables and chairs - but no guests. The racers were then introduced to their new pits, situated from a turn-off from the actual track. There wasn't any housing this time, which wasn't strange - there ain't any searing heat _here._

A cargo ship then docked as the large starshroom went away. It was crammed with all the racers' karts (except for Rosalina's), all lined up. Toad's Mushroom Dynamite was first, and toad merrily went and drove it off. After Yoshi's, Donkey Kong's, Bowser's and Daisy's, it was Luigi's turn.

The magnificent L Charger, all polished and cleaned, drove off to the pits. The cameras and television crew (which came up with the racers) all quickly took snapshots of the splendid machine as it parked. Due to the importance of this race, it started with a pole position shootout - despite technically being the last race of the Special Cup, it is sometimes viewed as a cup of its own.

"Yoshi doesn't have a kart here, does he?" Mario pointed to Luigi, as he went into the ship. "Didn't he crash?"

"Obviously he forgot", Diddy Kong, who had just walked over, said. Wario sniggered stupidly.

But Yoshi _did _have a kart. It took the shape - not of a weird egg this time, but instead of a high-speed racing machine, reminiscent of the Formula 1 cars the toads often drove at the Mushroom Grand Prix. It was painted dark green with orange flames painted on the side, with a Yoshi Egg - Yoshi's emblem - in the middle.

"Wow, pretty slick" Mario grinned, pointing at the kart, which the dinosaur was now driving to his pit.

"No, its pretty stupid" commented Waluigi. "My Purple Buster is the best"

"No, my is!" Wario snapped back angrily. "Your's is BUSTED!"

"Well then your's is _double busted_!" came Waluigi's response, roughly shoving his brother in the face.

The next ship to appear was the Comet Observatory, which docked with the house and Rosalina unloaded _her _kart, the Rainbow Comet. But this has obviously changed, as it now looked ten times more aggressive. It was shining - even better than Yoshi's, now titled the 'Nitro Dino'.

Ignoring Wario and Waluigi's fighting and insulting, Luigi thought he'd might as well check out the track layout. It was a racer's nightmare, and no doubt rainbow road - no other course had the length and turns.

It starts with a short straight, before a huge 50 degree drop. Filled boost panels, accurate racers can really race down this slope and breakneck speeds while grabbing an item box on the way (there is three). Then it's a sloped turn, but then lies the real danger - a 90 degree left turn that really throws racers off guard. Provided that they make it past this point, they then have to endure a twisty portion which actually moves, before a boost-ramp that takes them to the second portion of the track, with two holes _right in the middle of it_ - its either go around, or, if you have a mushroom, go through (small ramps are located at the edge). Then it's a complete loop, filled with boost panels and a single item box - before an extremely narrow portion with no fences whatsoever. Racers really have to mind their speed, turning angles and opponents here. Then it's a launch star inspired section the launches racers right to the other half of the track. Firstly, it's a relatively easy area with panels, before a ramp leading to a circular section of road which eventually curves back to the star/finish gulped. The course description is really an understatement of just how hard the course really is.

"Move it!" Bowser shoved Luigi out of the way roughly, before he and his son began to study the track. There was still half an hour before the start of the shootout. Why couldn't they just get this over with, Luigi thought, as he continued to pace the interior of the building. His nerves were really getting on top of him, he thought.

Suddenly, the loudspeakers blared with Lakitu's voice. "Could racer number 1, Luigi, make his way to the starting line"

Luigi had, so far, not performed at his fullest in every single one of the shootouts so far, and was determined to change this. Making his way to the pits, Toadbert came up to greet him.

"Well, this is it, Luigi! Rainbow Road!" the toad faked a smile, but Luigi knew that, deep down, he was just as nervous as he was.

"Oh, and just a little tip, don't freak out, okay? Remember that this isn't the real one yet and keep your cool. This is just a shootout, and even if you don't come first, you can always redeem yourself in the race"

"Yeah, even if I come last" Luigi responded bitterly.

"Don't be so negative!" Toadbert said encouragingly. "You've never come last in any race so far and you won't now, okay? You're gonna be fine - just remember what I said, keep you cool, and race!"

Luigi weakly smiled, and went down the rainbow-coloured narrow path to his kart. His knees were trembling so badly he was finding it difficult to walk.

"Can racer number one, Luigi, come to the start line please" Lakitu repeated again, and there was a tinge of impatience in his voice. Luigi obeyed, fired up the L Charger, and went out.

By then, the crowd had arrived (it was always a real privilege for fans to see Rainbow Road first-person), and was making a racket. Amongst the "boos" and "go home"s, Luigi could very clearly hear some "Go Luigi!" and "Do you best"s.

"LUIGI! SHOW US WHAT YOU'RE MADE OF!" a particularly high-pitched voice said. Luigi turned, to see that it was Lumalee. The light-blue star child was rooting for him!

"Ahem!" came Lakitu's voice. He was already holding the signal light. "Get ready!"

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"GO!"

The crowd cheered.


	14. Chapter 14: The final shootout

Luigi gulped and struggled to not freak out as he turned the 'ignition' key, and the engine of the L Charger revved to life inside the nose of the magnificent silver-green machine. Just then, Lakitu cleared his throat and then began his countdown.

"Three!"

Luigi's head was spinning. He was trying to focus on nailing this course, while trying to push away the ones which stated that he would fail. He tried to ease himself by stating that he has already raced eight races, and that he'd certainly win this one. It didn't work.

"Two!"

Luigi wiped his forehead with a towel, clearing the sweat on his forehead. Toadbert's voice suddenly came through the L Charger's speaker, wishing him luck. Luigi gave him a thumbs-up, well aware that he couldn't see it.

"One!"

Luigi pressed his foot just above the acceleration pedal, waiting for the green light.

"GO!"

The L Charger blasted into action - Luigi had perfected the rocket start - and he braced himself for the huge 50 degree drop up ahead. As the slope started, the L Charger suddenly sped up even faster. The red needle touched the 100 km/h mark with still half the slope to go, and when it ended, it nudged a whopping 200 km/h! The L Charger started to become hard to handle - Luigi narrowly made the turn - and he just had to brake. The 90 degree left turn loomed overhead, but Luigi was prepared and ready - he slightly pushed back the acceleration pedal again, and the L Charger _drifted _to the twisting course!

The moving portion had Luigi almost lose control a couple of times, and yet his course was still stable as he blasted from the ramp to the second portion. Luigi turned left and navigated using his thrusters in mid-air, coming down just to the side of the first hole. Drifting while turning, Luigi exited the hole area perfectly. The L Charger then went up the loop (which reminded him of Loopdeswoop Galaxy) - speed dropping - and came down the other side. "Yes!" Luigi thought as he continued to pick up speed - before furious breaking. There was an _270 degree turn_! Luigi quickly turned, now facing another one of those. After some other nail-biting turns, Luigi finally exited and made way for the gigantic launch star, until he was through it.

It was truly a strange feeling - Luigi held on tight, and saw that his odometer had maxed out - he was now travelling way faster than 350 km/h. The surroundings came by in a blur, before, with a violent thump, Luigi found himself on the next area. Taking care not to miss a single boost. Soon, he was on the circular arched track - and then back to the start/finish line.

One lap down, two more to go.

The pole position shootout was way easier than the actual race - when 15 other racers would be pushing your kart - but even that proved to be a big challenge. Luigi had no time to think as he navigated those turns and drops. When is this going to end!, he thought desperately, as he went up, once again, the dangerous loop. Down the other side now. Once again, it was now the turns and Luigi took them way to slowly - but by then, he was drained of most of his energy and didn't want to make a mistake.

By the time his shootout ended, Luigi was completely and utterly exhausted. Opening the glass roof, Luigi got out of his kart and wasted no time getting back to the restaurant to eat some food while watching the other racers. Toadbert's puny feet moved rapidly as the toad ran his way to Luigi's table. He showed the plumber his time, and game some decent advice.

"Luigi, you took those turns -"

"I know, Toadbert, too slow, right?"

"Yep, that's right."

"So -"

Luigi grumbled as he told Toadbert just how exhausted even a pole position shootout at Rainbow Road is. Mario, however, didn't seem to be troubled by such problems, and blitzed his way around the track and left the audience dumbfounded - same as always.

All the other racers eyed Mario disapprovingly when he got back to the restaurant - they knew they wouldn't be able to beat that time.

"Wow, that was indeed a nice run!" Rosalina pointed out the obvious.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi, who just came over, nodded several times in agreement, with food smeared all over his nose.

"Well, he's Mario, isn't he?" Luigi stated dully. "He's the pro round the track"

"I don't know about that but I know that you _seriously _lack self confidence" Toadbert chimed in.

"Yoshi!" Yoshi stated above.

The conversation was interrupted by Lakitu's voice blasting through the loudspeaker. "Could racer number 3, Bowser Jr., make his way to the pit please" the koopa suddenly heard while he was ordering some potato mash, and instantly took of…well, almost. He did stop before Luigi and boast to him just how well he races. Of course, Luigi just rolled his eyes. Sure, Mario might have smashed him, but he was still reasonably confident with his time.

Jr. started the race and instantly made mincemeat of Luigi at the downhill stretch - the young koopa was drifting like a champion. The ninety-degree turn wasn't much of a hindrance to him, also. In fact, even after the first lap Jr. hasn't blundered yet - and Luigi was now seriously worried.

"I wonder just how long it'll take for Bowser Jr. to mess up" Luigi muttered to himself, just loud enough for Toadbert to hear.

"Remember, this isn't the actual race, so don't get discouraged" the toad's response was still the same as ever.

In fact, the first thing Jr. did when he came back was show off to Luigi, repeatedly claiming his time to be better than Luigi's - which was in fact true. The pole position shootouts moved on, and soon it was Rosalina's turn.

"Good luck, Rosalina. Be sure to destroy that koopa a**hole!" Luigi said. It was intended as encouragement, except it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"I'll try" was star princess' response - obviously she was just as nervous.

And yet she _did _go better - and so did Yoshi. Bowser Jr. had a tantrum with his mashed potato in disgust - smearing and kicking it onto the walls, and his father had to restrain him from punching the waiter's lights out. Luigi laughed - and that made him even more aggressive.

"I beat _you_, you stupid plumber!" Jr. snarled with a look of pure evil. "I'm gonna _destroy _you, I'm gonna _destroy _this stupid kingdom, I'm gonna _destroy _THAT princess (pointed to Peach, as everyone gasped) and I'm gonna _rule _every pitiful corner of this stupid universe! And not even _you _can stop me!"

"Who did you just call that princess!" Toad came up and challenged him, but the koopa easily overcoming the poor mushroom man and soon had him by the neck - and Toad was beginning to suffocate.

Two big burly sledge bro security guards attempted to throw themselves onto the now-mad Jr. - crushing Toad even further. "You're killing him!" Luigi shouted back, except no-one was listening. "H-help!" Toad rasped - all eyes were now off the Mario Kart race - and Luigi did what he could. The sledge bros finally managed to hold back the scrabbling Bowser Jr. and take Toad to the medical bay, just as Donkey Kong finished his shootout.

It wasn't until the end of the event when Bowser Jr.'s temper was finally subdued - but the guards still kept him far away from Toad. Lakitu, as well as race president Toadsworth came over to congratulate the racers - but the day was not over. The actual race was set to begin in 3 hours sharp.

Luigi just couldn't bother waiting - and so he and Toadbert talked tactics on their own table while ordering an assortment of expensive food. He was started fifth - behind Mario, Rosalina, Yoshi and Bowser Jr. respectively - and on Rainbow Road, fifth wasn't a good position to start.

And those three hours were dedicated to analysing those four racers' driving styles - hoping to find a weakness - and yet the results weren't promising. Worse, _his _driving style was full of holes and errors - something Team Luigi just had to fix before the race if they want any chance of taking home the trophy.

The minutes felt like hours. It was just frustrating - _waiting _for the race to start. Meanwhile, even more people now sat in the grandstands - it had sold out, due to high demand. Even then, only the very rich could afford a trip up to space to witness Rainbow Road - an extremely rare and expensive privilege. Not surprisingly, the majority were high-ranking officers or even mushroom retainers - the finest occupations in the kingdom. There were the reporters, too - every single news reporter was begging for the front line row, where the clearest pictures could be taken. Luigi watched them fight childishly while waiting for the race to start. Finally, the torturous three hours passed.

Luigi made his way to the pits, with his brother and Yoshi walking beside him down the narrow walkway. The L Charger took its place on the starting line. Lakitu signalled to Toadsworth who then returned the all-clear. The light was already dangling on the pole.

Finally, the race could start! Luigi thought. Despite his nerves, in truth he wanted it over with. Finally, the race could start! He repeated again, inside his head…but it didn't. Instead, Lakitu rehearsed to the crowd a speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as you are all aware, this is the grand finale - the absolute climax - of the Mario Kart competition. After blood, sweat and tears, the race today would determine which Mario brother would be champion - a position not to be taken lightly. And thus, the 21st tournament prepares to draw to a close - but not yet! There's the final race to go and with positions still up for grabs, it'll truly be an all-out race to the finish! This is no ordinary race we are seeing here today folks. And so, let the countdown begin!

The audience cheered as Lakitu initiated the countdown. Ten. Nine. Eight. Seven. Six.

_Five…four…three…two…one…_GO!

"Well, this is it" Luigi thought grimly as the final race officially started. "This trophy is mine!"


	15. Chapter 15: The final challenge

There was indeed much hustle at the start of the race. The huge mass of karts made their was down the first slope, with Luigi finding his nemesis, Waluigi, racing alongside him.

Luigi missed out on the item box, however Mario's mushroom blasted him further in front, Rosalina's did the same and Jr. threw off his green shell. Luigi kept close to the Koopa Chaser, who was narrowing in on the Nitro Dino. The two karts were attempting to push each other off aggressively. It was now nearly the 90 degree turn, and Luigi easily cut inside and took the lead, going into 3rd. Yoshi and Bowser Jr. couldn't believe their eyes when they saw the L Charger in front of them.

During the twisty portion, the Rainbow Comet managed to not lose any ground, and Luigi had no option but to keep behind it. It seemed as if there wasn't a bunch of racers racing along the track now: it seemed more like a single, straight narrow line. Everyone was taking the same path, too afraid to fall off or be overtaken. Luigi was still out of luck when they reached the ramp - Rosalina went off to the left of the hole, and Luigi, by instinct, took the other side. The two karts threatened to collide with each other - one was coming this way while the other was coming that way - and Luigi just had to brake a bit to let the Rainbow Comet pass. Muttering a few choice words under his breath, Luigi took off again in hot pursuit.

Rosalina went up the loop, but Mario had of course got the item box. Luigi followed her, keen not to lose any time, and then it was down the other side to the tight turn area. Everyone lost speed at that portion, but Rosalina was, once again, ace.

Luigi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself. It was now turning into a thrilling cat-and-mouse chase, the only problem being that the mouse was getting away! At the launch star, Luigi was yet still behind.

The mechanics were at their pits, although, for them there isn't much to do: no-one wanted to phone their racers only for them to lose their concentration, and also all eyes watched their team-mate intently. Toadbert looked at Luigi, who was on the tail of the Rainbow Comet - and judging by his driving style, it was clear that he was frustrated.

It was now at the end of the launch star and Luigi tried to take every single boost panel available. Rosalina was still keeping herself out of reach. It was pointless overtaking here. By the circular section of track, Luigi was close to exploding.

The second lap started, and Luigi desperately wanted a golden mushroom in his item box - except it was a bob-omb. Luigi thought about flinging it at Rosalina, who had ended up with a red shell which she flung at Mario. Taking absolute care, Luigi aligned his kart perfectly with Rosalina's - it was now the stretch before the ninety-degree turn, the perfect place to do something like that.

The bob-omb hit… nothing.

The cat-and-mouse chase continued up the loop, and down it again. Luigi remembered the same thing happening way back at Toad's Factory of the Mushroom Cup, on the final lap: except this was lasting twice as long. But then Rosalina, who was under intense pressure, made her first mistake.

It was now the tight turn area and she braked too early. All too easily, Luigi saw the window of opportunity widen. He didn't waste any time in drifting in front of her at the 270 degree turn and claim second place.

"Princess Rosalina was just overtaken by Luigi!" Lakitu said excitingly. "But, his real major obstacle is Mario. He is still in front! Except, judging by the scores, even if Luigi comes second and Mario first, the green plumber would still win!"

But Mario knew that. He _knew _that he couldn't win, even if he comes first - to win, he has to make Luigi come worse than 4th. Unbelievably, if there was a score tie, it would go no-one's way - since if Mario won this, _both _he had Luigi would win four races. It'll be a dead heat - something he really won't like.

Luigi kept a mental note of just how far Rosalina was behind him every few turns. It was now the start of the third lap, and, as the race became more desperate, there was more action.

Bowser Jr. was now coming in third, and he didn't want that. He had to get two places in front of Rosalina to claim third place - which despite not being the best, at least it'll be a podium finish. The Koopa Chaser just ended its shoving with the now-scratched Nitro Dino, only to continue with the Rainbow Comet.

Mario's two mushrooms meant that he was _really _far away from Luigi, who really doubted that he could now get up to him. But he also knew that Mario would eventually pull back and attempt to get Luigi into fourth place or worse - otherwise he wouldn't be able to take the cup. The just had to buy some time and ensure that Bowser Jr. and Rosalina won't overtake him.

It was now the circular section for Luigi, but the start of the fourth lap for Mario. Toadbert watched on anxiously, and so did Mario's mechanic, Toadofsky - waiting to see who would win.

Just then, it happened. Mario started to pull back. He had a bob-omb as his item and he wanted to use it. Unknown to him, Luigi had a banana and Rosalina a blooper - both not very damaging weapons.

"Watch out Luigi, Mario has a bob-omb!" Toadbert warned his racer that things were about to get _very _messy.

Luigi knew what was going to happen, and gulped as panic rose inside him again. A bob-omb was _not _good. At the 90 degree turn, Mario was some 10 metres ahead of him, and when it was the loop area, he was only _just _in front.

"You sure you want to do this now?" Toadofsky asked Mario. "There's still one lap to go, you know"

"Yeah, but I've got to take precautions" Mario answered.

Mario tried to align his kart with Luigi's, but Luigi was curving. He had heeded the warning. Mario swore, and attempted to take aim, just as Rosalina's blooper was fired, aiming for…Luigi.

Luigi now couldn't determine exactly where Mario is. It was now the stretch before the launch star section, but he couldn't swerve madly as Rosalina and Bowser Jr. would use this golden opportunity to overtake him. Meanwhile, Mario was still taking his time to adjust.

At the end of the launch star area, Mario was multi-tasking - getting the boosts and aiming at the same time. Rosalina and Bowser Jr. was practically just behind Luigi now. Just then, Mario fired his bob-omb.

Bang! The sound was heard by everyone in the grandstand.

"Oh. My. God!" a female toad gasped.

A boo's mouth was gaping open in awe.

Luigi had just…_dodged Mario's bob-omb_! Luigi's supporters cheered while Mario's supporters booed. Mario tried to calm himself down by stating there was still one lap to go.

At the final lap of the final race of the final cup of the 21st Mario Kart tournament, three racers - namely Mario, Luigi and Rosalina - raced down the slope and obtained their item boxes at the same time. This time, however, there were two green shells which equalled out and a banana, and everyone knew the winner of this race would win by driving skill alone.

Mario was now desperate and tried to ram Luigi at every turn. The audience was enthralled by Luigi's expertise in dodging every single one of them. Mario, who was now exhausted, used up his energy and had a hunger for winning which could never be satisfied by a second place, was launching blow after blow at his own brother. Through the launch star section. The attacks became much more intense and violent. Through the boost section. Mario was becoming more and more aggressive. On the home straight. Mario had no choice but go extra wide to finish Luigi off with a final swing.

"You've gone too far Luigi. This cup is MINE!" Mario screamed screams of fury as the Red Racer prepared to slam into the L Charger. "You might have gotten so far, but you're never going to STOP ME!"

Luigi knew that, this time, Mario wasn't kidding. He wanted to win. The Red Racer came closer and closer, but, at the very last second, Luigi slammed the brakes.

Mario flew clean off the track and crashed into the grandstand, sending the audience running. A DNF. Luigi crossed the line in first, Rosalina in second, Bowser Jr. in third.

Luigi was weeping tears and joy as all sorts of emotions overwhelmed him. He had won the tournament! Toadbert ran onto the track, alongside all the other fans.

"We're Team Luigi! The greatest team of all, hey!" Toadbert and Luigi sang together. Rosalina, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi and most of the other racers were standing on the edge, clapping a joining in. The news reporters repeatedly flashed, joining in.

"Wheeee-ho! Yeah!" Lakitu could barely contain his excitement. "LADIES AND GENTLEMEN! PUT YOU HANDS TOGETHER FOR… THE NEWEST MARIO KART CHAMPION - LUIGI!"

The audience cheered as one, and Luigi was right in the middle of it. This was it. He had won!

"But first, before we get the medals and trophies, let's look at the times!" Lakitu continued.

Driver: | Kart: | Time:

Luigi | L Charger | 11:28:26

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 11:30:14

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 11:32:15

Yoshi | Nitro Dino | 11:33:19

Wario | Gold Buster | 7:41:17

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | 7:42:19

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 7:44:13

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 7:45:01

Peach | Heart Kart | 7:47:55

Daisy | Flower Power | 7:48:03

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 7:49:15

Bowser | Koopa King | 7:51:13

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 7:52:11

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 7:52:39

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 8:18:50

Mario | Red Racer | DNF

_Mario. _Luigi thought. Suddenly, he remembered. Where was he? Pushing through the eager crowd, Luigi made his way to the very end of the grandstand where two medics were inspecting his badly bruised brother. The Red Racer was lying upside-down and smoking on the chairs, but everyone else was absent - drawn to Lakitu's results.

"His he okay?" he asked a noki medic.

"We don't know" not a good response. "He's unconscious, that crash was pretty damaging"

"No! Not by brother!" Luigi was desperate.

But then Mario's eyes started to flicker, and Luigi knew at once that he was alive. Mario slowly remembered the pain, and the doctor gave him some Mushroom Medicine to ease it.

Luigi scrambled back to the crowd, where the score was showing:

Driver: | Kart: | Score:

Luigi | L Charger | 81

Mario | Red Racer | 69

Rosalina | Rainbow Comet | 62

Bowser Jr. | Koopa Chaser | 62

Yoshi | Nitro Dino | 48

Wario | Gold Buster | 38

Donkey Kong | Konga Kart | 35

Waluigi | Purple Buster | 28

Toadette | Pink 'Shroom 2 | 27

Peach | Heart Kart | 22

Bowser | Koopa King | 13

Daisy | Flower Power | 10

Toad | Mushroom Dynamite | 2

Diddy Kong | Banana 1 | 1

Koopa Troopa | Shell Smasher | 0

Birdo | Pink Powerhouse | 0

Later, Luigi stepped onto the podium. The audience cheered, Mario, who had recovered, came second. Rosalina and Bowser Jr. were tied on points - _BUT _- the star princess had won a race (Mario Circuit, Shell Cup) and so she took the third place.

A toad was carrying a hefty golden trophy on his plump hands and short feet and gave it to Luigi, who took it gratefully and held it up high. The audience cheered again.

"Team Luigi!" Luigi said, waving to the jubilant crowd with Toadbert on his side, "Number 1!"


End file.
